Winged Horse of the Apocalypse
by Lone-ranger1
Summary: When their Jumper is downed in the Capital Wasteland, John Sheppard and Alicia Vega have to learn to survive the wastes in order to save McKay from the Evil Enclave... except McKay is trying to save himself! Humor/Action, Glorious return! New Chapter! :D
1. Jumper Down in DC

Winged Horse Of The Apocalypse

* * *

**Timeframe:** Late Season 4, as if that matters. In Fallout terms, almost immediately after the Lone Wanderer leaves the Citadel after the Enclave occupation of the Jefferson Memorial.

**Type of Story: **Adventure, Humor, Crossover

**Spoilers: **None so far for Stargate, unless you count Carter in charge. Mostly it'll be Fallout 3 spoilers so be warned if you haven't finished the game.

**Synopsis:** A cross over fic of Stargate Atlantis and Fallout 3.

When their jumper is shot down over the Capital Wasteland during a recon mission, John Sheppard and Alicia Vega have to learn to survive the wasteland filled with raiders, mutated insects, and the occasional power armoured soldier, all while trying to rescue Rodney McKay who has been captured and forced to work advancing the Enclave's already formidable technology. What they don't know is that Rodney is making his own bumbling trek across the wasteland looking for them and his own route of escape! They'll get a hand from an unknown hero, known only as the Lone Wanderer.

**Author's notes: **Pretty sure i've gone insane. Constant injections of spicy food and hot hot coffee have driven me over the edge.

**ATTENTION: **This story is updated infrequently, and the first 10 or so chapters are formatted strangely (i was a newbie writer) if you can look past that, around chatper 9-11 the formatting goes back to normal and the quality improves markedly. Thank you to all who continue to read.

For those who care, here's a SPECIAL stats page on John Sheppard and Alicia Vega along with relevant perks. Levels are just what i think their rank equates to. Rodney's rank comes in later at the appropriate junction in the fullness of time.

* * *

**John Sheppard Stats in Fallout Universe at Level 15:**

Strength = 5

Perception = 7

Endurance = 8

Charisma = 4+2 (+2 Bonus with the Hair)

Intelligence = 5

Agility = 7

Luck = 4+2 (+2 Bonus with Lucky Shades and Wrist Band)

Perks: Adamantium Skeleton, Lady Killer, Child at Heart, Commando, Concentrated Fire, Educated, Gun Nut (2), Gunslinger, Little Leaguer, Scrounger, Swift Learner, Strong Back. Toughness (2)

* * *

**Alicia Vega Stats in Fallout Universe at Level 10:**

Strength = 5

Perception = 9

Endurance = 5

Charisma = 4+2 (+2 Bonus with damn fine looks)

Intelligence = 5

Agility = 9

Luck = 3

Perks: Black Widow, Commando, Sniper, Concentrated Fire, Better Criticals, Finesse, Gun Nut (2), Light Step, Size Matters

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Neither Fallout, nor Stargate Atlantis is in any way shape or form mine. The Lone Wanderer I'm using is based on my own character from the game and acts accordingly. (Yes, I sneak grenades into people's pants on a regular basis while playing.)

* * *

"What happened to this place?"

Vega's question went unanswered, both John and Rodney were busy taking in all their readings.

"Rodney, I'm not liking this tick tick tickity sound."

The frustrated scientist slapped his face lightly, trying to compile all the data into a legible format.

"Yes yes… gimme a second."

The Jumper was unusually quiet, only the 3 of them had gone on this mission as it was to be recon only and Vega needed some practice with handling the Jumper's controls.

The world beneath them though was nothing like what they had expected.

When they had dialled the planet, they had received a radio signal from the other side, it was strange in that it didn't sound like a typical military styled transmission, it was instead a man calling himself "Three Dog" giving advice on not to feed Yao Guai… whatever those were and that that was all. It continued into playing some very peculiar music that sounded as if it were automated.

With Teyla busy dealing with the Athosian resettlement, and Ronon laid up in bed with a torn hamstring, It fell to John and Rodney to recon the planet. Vega had tagged along for the much needed flight training.

The space gate a bit further from the planet than they expected, and after some quick training with the operation of the craft, Vega relinquished the controls to Sheppard and watched as he steered through the murky and yellowish clouds of the planet.

The desolate wasteland that lay below was unreal. Shattered husks of buildings and what looked like freeways littered the main continent, small radio signals and energy readings came from several places, but most prominently in a large area surrounding a river.

"Bring us closer Sheppard, I need to get some better readings."

Sheppard turned and looked at him.

"Uh? Didn't I make myself clear? Tick Tick Tickity? As in Geiger counter? As in _RADIATION_?"

Vega gulped, the devastation was obviously caused by nuclear weapons, but the presence of radiation made it all the more real.

Rodney on the other hand waved off the threat, and pointed to a specific point.

"Yeah yeah yeah… head to these coordinates at the head of the river, I'm getting a significant power reading from there as well as the radio signal we picked up. We'll be safe as long as we stay in the jumper. Hell even if we leave it'll be fine, just don't eat or drink anything from there."

John made an unhappy sound, and mumbled something under his breath that Vega could have sworn was _"one of these days"._

The jumper swooped down, invisible to the naked eye and any radar that might exist in a society like this, it hugged the river as it flew, passing low and close to shattered bridges of what must have at one time been highways.

"I'm picking up lifesigns, this might be a nuclear wasteland but there are survivors, That looks like a settlement there."

Vega brought up the information on the HUD, the scanners detected several people and some light energy readings, like something from a handheld weapon.

"I can't tell what kind of energy reading this is… Doctor?"

She passed the info to Rodney, who after checking it for a few moments made his typical noise for something that either confused, surprised, or generally annoyed him.

"That's funny…"

John kept the jumper 140 feet off the ground, surveying the area.

"Don't make me ask Rodney."

Rodney growled irritation, but answered nonetheless.

"It looks like plasma based energy technology… but I've never seen this kind before. Almost like it's too technologically advanced for the materials I'm picking up."

John pushed the Jumper higher into the air, now nearing what looked like it was once a major metropolitan area.

"Sort of like the way your brain was surgically implanted into your body?"

Vega stifled a laugh, and wondered if Rodney would get the joke.

"Oh ha ha Mr Witty, how long you been waiting to pull that one out?"

John chuckled, but kept his composure, the war torn scene below him was sobering.

"How long ago you think this happened Doctor?"

Before Rodney could answer Alicia's question, John pressed a button and a Geiger counter appeared before him.

"Well… judging from the radiation left, and the uranium and plutonium signatures… 207 years."

He stated it as fact, something which totally befuddled Rodney who had scribbled the same number after some calculations.

"Wha… How did… You cheated!"

John smirked, and saw something bright ahead.

"You keep telling yourself that… But before you do… how 'bout you tell me what the hell that thing is?"

Rodney stood up and looked at the information going across the HUD, he 'hmm'ed' again and replied before Sheppard could make a snarky comment.

"Yes yes… It's reading that it's a titanium alloy, with a photonic resonance barrier. As long as it has power, it would serve as a pretty decent shield, at least to anything on the ground."

A pair of the barriers surrounded what looked like a monument. Heavy weapons emplacements and helicopter-like vehicles stood in stark contrast to the rest of the landscape.

"Looks like there's still people alive down there, technologically advanced people."

Vega's comment again went unanswered, a slight annoyance, but then as if reading her mind, Rodney finished going over the scans and made a happy sound.

"Ah! Looks like they're about 50 years ahead of us. Well… non-stargate related technology anyway. I'm reading micro-fusion technology, plasma emissions, and a wide variety of projectile weapons. They're military all right."

John cleared his throat, and his fingers hovered over a button.

"Maybe they want to trade; I sure as hell would wanna get off this rock."

John waited a moment, then engaged the DHD on the jumper's helm.

"I'm calling Atlantis, see what Carter thinks."

He began to dial the gate, but only got halfway through when he noticed something on the HUD, a blip where there had been nothing before.

Rodney saw it too and began to merge their passive scanners.

He watched and tried to glean as much information from the passive scanner as he could, but without wanting to risk sending an active ping that might give away their location, it was hard to tell what it was.

"It's about 3 miles behind us, moving in fast."

Rodney gulped and took a seat, bracing himself.

"How fast?"

Vega answered as she saw it move quickly in.

"Fast enough, it's heading right for us!"

John pulled the jumper into evasive manoeuvres, the jumper moved hard to the left and pulsed it's engines pushing it forward. John watched the HUD and the now confirmed helicopter like ship..

"It's following us! I think it's spotted us. I'm gonna try and raise it on the com."

He tapped the button to engage the com, and quickly spoke to anyone listening.

"This is Lt Colonel John Sheppard to the approaching ship, we mean you no harm and are engaged in a peaceful mission. Please state your intent."

A silence passed, and finally a brusk voice answered.

"Lieutenant Colonel? What's your serial number? What is that you're flying? And why wasn't Colonel Autumn informed of your flight?"

John and his 2 passengers exchanged puzzled glances. Rodney mouthed the words "what?" to John. John clicked his tongue and tapped the communications button again.

"Uhhh… Don't think we're part of the same organization. Can I find out who I'm speaking to?"

No hesitation this time, the voice became almost angry.

"This is Major Henry Rollins of the Enclave, and if you do not immediately explain why you are violating restricted airspace in an unknown vessel, you will be shot down."

"Whoa whoa whoa… no need to do anything hasty. Any chance I can talk to whoever's in charge there sir?"

A silence passed, but only a very momentary one.

"Sir? _DID YOU FORGET SOMETHING MAGGOT? I AM NOT A SIR! I HAVE A NAME YOU MO-RON! I AM ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THIS AREA IS COMPLETELY SECURE FROM ALL HOSTILES! IF I ASK FOR SOMETHING FROM YOU, YOU WILL COMPLY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"_

John did a double take, he sounded like his old drill Sergeant.

"Uhh… Yes Major Rollins, no offence intended."

"_YOU WILL LAND YOUR SHIP! YOU WILL BE TAKEN INTO ENCLAVE CUSTORY! IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY IMMEDIATELY YOU WILL BE SHOT DOWN AND I WILL LET YOUR BONES BLEACH IN THE WASTELAND SUN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"_

Rodney made an annoyed noise with his throat, then motioned Sheppard to get away from the planet.

"I don't know what kind of weapons they have, but they might be able to make good on that threat."

John nodded and began to push the jumper into a steeper trajectory, despite the possibility of advanced technology; it wasn't worth it to get into hostilities with these people.

The HUD suddenly started blinking red, a warning.

"Oh crap! Hold on!"

John swerved the Jumper back towards the ground, flipping the ship around on it's axis, if it weren't for the inertial dampeners the crew would have pancaked on the ceiling.

The missile that launched from the Vertibird missed, but only by a few feet. John had pulled out of the decline and pushed upwards when a new threat emerged.

The HUD suddenly registered hits along the starboard hull, heat signatures that were starting to damage the alloys.

"Crap they're firing! Rodney what the hell is that!?"

Rodney quickly checked, and gasped when the info came up.

"Lasers! They've got some kind of rapid fire laser weapon mounted on that thing! Get us outta here Sheppard!"

They held on as Sheppard tried his best to evade the incoming fire, but a jumper wasn't faster than a laser and in a few moments, the jumper took critical damage.

"Oh crap… Oh Crap… We're going down, We are soo going down!"

John struggled to keep control of the jumper as it lost control, the Vertibird now holding fire. John steered it along the edge of the river with the attitude thrusters, but the main engines were offline. He'd managed to bring them in with a mostly flat trajectory, but at the speed they were going it wasn't going to help much if they hit any of those buildings.

"Brace yourselves, hard landing!"

The crash was monumental it jarred everything that wasn't stuck down forward into the dash of the jumper and that last thing John heard before losing consciousness was a womanly scream, he was undecided as to which of his passengers it was.

* * *

"Come on buddy, wake up."

John coughed, and tasted the copper tinge of blood in his mouth. Mentally he was kicking himself.

'_Why does this always happen to me?'_

He tried to open his eyes, but found the effort to be too much, so instead he just made a groaning sound, anything to imply he was alive.

"Alright, come on, I'm not hauling your ass any further so wake the fuck up."

The sudden cursing in his direction seemed to stir the anger within him, he opened his eyes and was blinded by the sheer light of the sun outside. His vision was fuzzy, but he could make out a figure in front of him.

"Hey hey… I'm alive… I think."

A scoff came from the being in front of him, a definite male voice.

"You're one tough sonofbitch, Brotherhood I'll bet."

John rubbed his eyes, and finally got accustomed to the light, his body ached, but he felt mostly intact.

"Huh? Brotherhood? What happened? Where am I?"

A hand held him down as he tried to get up, pushing on his chest.

"Whoa stay still there… those stims I gave you are working quickly, but I don't think you should walk yet."

John was in no position to say otherwise, as he felt along his body, most of his equipment was gone, with only his sidearm and a few pouches on his vest remaining. He looked at the man in front of him.

"I'm guessing you pulled me out of the wreckage?"

The man nodded, he seemed quite young. The surrounding environment was hostile, and the wind ripped at John's clothing and hair. He didn't see Vega or McKay.

"The others?"

The man made an involuntary motion with his eyes and throat, John could tell right away it wasn't good.

"I got the chick out alright, she's lucky those scavs weren't slavers or she'd be gone in an instant with her looks. When I went back for you, one of those vertibirds landed nearby, fucking Enclave bastards. They got the fat dude and your ship."

John closed his eyes and groaned, his ribs still hurt from probably hitting the dash, he licked his lips that had become dry in the near desert conditions.

"I take it the Enclave isn't popular?"

He gave him a curious look, as if questioning John's sanity. His tone was pretty smartassed as well.

"What Vault did _you_ come out of? The Enclave is everywhere. I'm surprised they took your buddy alive after what I saw."

Now John was worried, 'alive'? He stood and waved off efforts from the young man to hold him down.

Now with a clear head, he took in his environment, he was standing amidst the ruins of the city, torn slabs of concrete adorned the sides of the road like the front yards of a post apocalyptic urban housing project. The man in front of him was dressed in strong looking armor, nothing like his own light Kevlar vest.

"Where'd you put the chi…uhh… Vega… that's her name."

John mentally slapped himself, the crash had hurt him physically, and courtesy was a mental thing.

The man motioned over to the side, where Vega lay amidst some dirty sick looking gtass with her head on a rock. She looked as banged up as Sheppard felt.

"She's a tough bit… I mean… I assumed you guys were Brotherhood... but if you don't know about the Enclave..."

John knelt at Vega's side and shook her; she let a soft moan out and coughed.

"Mmm… anybody get the licence plate?"

Both John and their savior chuckled. John giving him a surprised look.

"Who are you?"

The man furrowed his brow, as if the question confused him.

"That's… a harder question than you might think… but most people around here know me as "The Lone Wanderer". Catchy isn't it?"

* * *

A/N: Bah! I'm doing too much crack. But I had to at least get the idea on paper or it would drive me mad. Reviews will be rewarded with more chapters! If you read, please review, helps me know the hundreds of hits actually mean something and aren't just passer bys.


	2. What the Hell is a Mirelurk?

_**What the hell is a Mirelurk!?**_

* * *

"Sir, you are now in the custody of the Enclave, so I highly recommend you answer my questions to the fullest and without hesitation. Non-compliance will mean ah get mightily irritated with ya and just toss ya out the back of this fine vessel."

Rodney gulped; the man interrogating him had what he considered a very intimidating southern accent. He was dressed in a long overcoat and was armed with a giant looking pistol. A pair of men in smocks worked beside him attaching all sorts of doodads and wires to him. They didn't look any friendly as they tore his clothing to get to his body.

"What did you do with my friends?"

The angry looking man in front of him made an unpleasant face.

"If ah knew what became of your so called friends ah would tell you, as their bodies would make a good motivation for you. Unfortunately it seems some of dregs of the wasteland got to them first and hauled them away. With any luck, they'll become slaves in Paradise Falls if they don't mutate into Ghouls from the ovah-exposure to radiation. Now answer mah question. Where did your ship come from?"

Rodney quickly took in his environment; he was strapped down to a chair with what looked to be a polygraph like machine attached to him, and several soldiers standing around. At least he assumed they were soldiers, the heavy armor they wore made them look more like mythical demons. He had no doubt that the man in front of him would make good on his threat to toss him out the airlock of this fast moving vehicle.

"I'm not sure you'll believe this, but it's from the ancient city of Atlantis."

Within moments of saying it, an electrical shock ran through Rodney's legs causing great pain. He screamed and tried to get free, but nothing budged.

"Do you enjoy insulting mah intelligence? Tell me how the brotherhood came into possession of such advanced technology or ah will drop your body into the irradiated rivah!"

"No no! Please! It's true! I'm a Scientist working for the Atlantis Expedition and we came to survey your planet! We didn't mean any harm! I don't know anything about a Brotherhood!"

The man in front of Rodney nodded to the side and another shock went through Rodney's legs, this time more intense. For the umptybillionth time in his life, Rodney wished he had a decently good sense of creativity as he screamed in agony.

"ah do not know how you ah fooling our machines, but if you do not start telling tha truth this conversation is ovah, and you'll be nothing moar than another irradiated corpse in the wasteland."

Rodney shook his head vehemently; he did _not_ want to end up that way.

"Let me prove it to you! Please don't kill me! I can prove it! Just take me back to my ship and I can prove it!"

The man raised an eyebrow, and motioned for the scientist next to him to hold.

"Very well sir, when we land you shall have 5 minutes of my time to prove ah did not make a mistake in allowing your overly fed hide to survive."

The man got up and went into the forward section of the craft, every soldier and scientist saluted him as he went through.

In his mind, Rodney knew he was screwed, he only hoped that Sheppard and Vega weren't as bad off as the southern man imagined and were already planning to rescue him.

* * *

"Come on Vega, shake it off."

Vega rubbed her neck, and wondered if she had whiplash. The 'Lone Wanderer' man stood off to the side, holding a heavy and technical looking weapon. John knelt next to her and gave her a hand.

"Thanks Colonel, I'll be okay."

He nodded, and looked back over to the Lone Wanderer.

"Hey buddy, any chance I could ask you a few questions?"

The man took another moment to make sure the area was secure, and nodded to him.

"Make it quick, we need to move."

Vega pulled herself up, and looked around, the devastation was depressing.

"Well to start. What's your name? Lone Wanderer is cool and all, but it's kind of a mouthful."

The man chuckled, and showed a toothy grin.

"Call me Robert. And you?"

John held his hand out in greeting.

"I'm John."

He motioned for Vega to jump in too.

"I'm Alicia… nice to meet you I guess."

The man shook each of their hands, taking extra care in making a courteous bow to Vega that if she weren't so badly hurt, she'd be flattered, when noises nearby made him go completely alert. He went low and took a few steps out of the crater they were in; he kicked the floor softly and cursed.

"Fuck… Talon Mercs. Don't suppose you guys have any guns?"

John unholstered his sidearm and racked the first round, for some reason he didn't like the sound of 'Talon Mercs'. Alicia did the same and they all took cover near a large jutting concrete slab.

Robert looked experienced in this setting, he pressed his back against the slab and leaned out carefully, John crouched next to him, his gun pointed down and ready to raise and fire.

"Alright… looks like they didn't see us. They're probably just checking out that field the Enclave set up."

Robert relaxed a bit, but kept his rifle ready to fire. Both John and Alicia were worried.

"Who the hell are Talon Mercs?"

"And why are we hiding from them?"

Robert gave them another confused look, the same kind one gives to a person who doesn't know what toilet paper is.

"The hell did you people come from? Fuck!"

He peered out again, and got a bit more nervous.

"You guys any good with those?"

John nodded, as did Alicia.

"Alright… I'm going out there, you guys don't have decent armor so try and give me some distraction fire once the action starts."

John reached out and put a hand on Robert's shoulder.

"Wait! Why can't we just get outta here? There must be somewhere safe nearby."

Robert shook his head, but seemed reluctant at the same time.

"Alright, I can take you guys to Rivet City, but these bastards are probably looking for me anyways. So like I said, wait till you hear fighting, and then open fire."

John didn't let go even as Robert tried to move off, but after a moment, Robert tapped a few buttons on his armor, and then almost magically became translucent. His voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"Trust me; I've dealt with these fucks before."

Both John and Alicia were too shocked to refuse. Robert slipped out from John's grip and went out of sight in the dusty and war torn environment.

"Goddamnit…"

John motioned Vega to take a higher position along with him behind a concrete slab; hopefully it would provide enough cover for them once Robert did whatever he was going to do. Stealthily, they climbed up and peered out, trying to blend in with the environment.

The Talon Company Mercs were moving in a broken formation, John didn't recognize any of the weapons they carried, but they looked powerful, he couldn't make out Robert anywhere and hoped he hadn't just abandoned them.

So it came as a big surprised when one of the Talon Mercs suddenly started jumping around screaming and cursing. A moment later, an explosion from his lower body tore his legs off and sent his upper body flying through the air. Both John and Vega looked at each other and waited.

The Talon Mercs went into proper formation then, realising that something was attacking them. But whatever it was they couldn't see it. John watched carefully as they scanned the area, trying to find what it was that killed one of their men. A few moments later. Another one of them jumped in shock and did a similar cursing dance before blowing up as well.

The 3 men left began to fire in the general direction of their fallen comrade. A combination of automatic rifle fire, and what looked like some kind of laser rifle. None seemed to connect with anything though and one of the men tossed a grenade as well, hoping to at least detect what had attacked them. It detonated in much a similar way as the two prior explosions, but nothing screamed or even showed up. Robert was evidently very good at what he did.

The Mercs got in close formation, swinging batons around to try and find anything trying to sneak up on them. They began to fall back, retreating from their unknown assailant.

A mighty whoosh suddenly tore through the afternoon air, and a bluish orb ripped through the sky and connected with one of the Mercs heads tearing it clean off. The Mercs left saw where the shot had come from, and opened fire, trying to hit their attacker.

John nodded to Vega and aimed, taking care to make sure he would hit at such a long distance.

The crack of their sidearm's alerted the Talon Mercs to their position, and even as they took hits, they returned fire trying to suppress John and Alicia.

"Damn!"

John ducked behind the slab at the same time as Alicia; a smattering of rounds had landed right in front of them and shot a spray of concrete dust up, blinding them. They heard another loud whoosh and a frenzied curse from the remaining Talon Merc. He said some rather spurious things about his attacker's mother, and despite now being outnumbered, he still charged towards the Atlantean's position.

John nodded to Vega and they jumped up, opening fire again.

The 9mm rounds from their berrettas shattered against the metal reinforced ceramic of the Talon Mercs combat armor, but he staggered under the impact of multiple rounds. He raised his laser rifle and fired off a trio of shots, one connecting with John's shoulder before going down from a headshot.

John had been shot before, and he knew that the biggest thing was to not panic. But the sheer heat he felt against his shoulder instinctively made him jump back and howl in pain. The laser blast had melted his Kevlar and Nylon vest into his skin causing an incredibly painful, if superficial wound.

Alicia gave him a moment of her gaze, and then turned back to make sure the Talon Mercs was down. John tried to peel away the vest but found his skin had adhered to the fabric and he'd need a doctor to safely remove it. He took a moment to let the pain subside, then got back into position and saw the 5 dead Mercs on the floor in front of him.

"Robert! You okay out there?"

From seemingly nowhere, Robert appeared above the last Mercs, examining his wounds. He waved John and Vega over and muttered to himself.

"Come on! I need your help!"

Vega took the lead, jumping down off the slab onto the floor; she looked back to John and gave him a worried look.

"You gonna be okay Colonel? You look a little crispy."

He shook his head and followed her down.

"Just a little well done, I'll be fine."

Truth be told it hurt like hell, but John had long ago learned to dissociate pain from his conscious mind and focused on the situation at hand. They joined Robert above the dead Talon Merc who Robert was now stripping of gear.

"Whoa… What are you doing man!?"

Robert again gave them a surprised look.

"What do you mean? Help me grab all their ammo and meds. Take their guns if they still work, those popguns you've got don't have enough punch for this area."

John and Vega gave each other grim looks, and then nodded. Field stripping the bodies of fallen enemies was a gruesome task, but in this situation it seemed prudent.

John picked up the laser rifle he'd been shot with and looked at it.

"This thing looks like it's seen better days."

Robert, now completely frustrated looked at John and started yelling.

"I'll see what I can do with it later, Just move! Grab everything you can and take any armor that isn't broken, you'll need it! Move!"

If they weren't in such unfamiliar settings, John would argue back, but he nodded to Vega and got to the disturbing task.

* * *

"See! Even though most of the systems are pretty damaged, I can still access the database, so uh… you're not gonna kill me now?"

The now named Colonel Autumn waved a pair of technicians over; they went over the information on screen and after a moment gave him a thumbs up.'

"It seems for the moment you have bahgined for your life. But if what ya say is true, then our scientists will have many questions for ya."

Rodney had made sure to silently encrypt any important information in the jumper, but now he was worried.

"Uh… what kind of questions?"

Colonel Autumn shuddered as if he found the genius scientist incredibly annoying, which for all intents and purposes, he did.

"The kind you will answer or pay for it with your life. Now silence that apparatus you call a mouth and wait here for our chief of science!"

He stomped off, with a pair of the heavily armoured soldiers escorting him, Rodney looked to the Technicians but they said nothing, not even acknowledging him. He tried to step out of the jumper but walked into a solid metal obstacle, an Enclave Shock Troop in power armor.

"Don't try it."

Rodney backed up, the armor made the man inside seem almost demonic. He scurried back inside, well aware of the bulky looking plasma rifle now levelled in his direction.

"Ok alright! Please, I was just looking."

"Sure. Just don't get any ideas."

Rodney rubbed his hands together and tried to stretch his stiff muscles, the crash had left him incredibly sore and he was amazed he didn't break anything. He remembered being picked up and having something injected in him before fully waking up as he was dragged out of the crashed jumper. He had no clue what happened to Sheppard and what's her face? Vega!

He nervously stood between the mean looking technicians, and the terrifying looking soldier guarding the aft hatch. His only consolation was that he wasn't under the threat of being Wraith lunch, although a Yao Guai didn't sound any better.

Finally, a tallish blonde woman in a white smock entered through the back and stood in front of Rodney, seemingly examining him through her proper looking glasses.

"Uhhh... hi? I'm Dr Rodney McKay."

The woman didn't reply, and instead adjusted her glasses and began to take notes on a wrist mounted computer.

Rodney gulped, and despite knowing he was attracted to her, she'd probably be just as blood thirsty as her boss.

"Can you at least tell me your name?"

She stopped taking notes, and raised an eyebrow. She held her hand out courteously.

"My name is Dr Dephany Manning, I am chief of science for the Raven Rock facility, and I have many questions for you Dr Rodney McKay. To begin, what field of medicine or science do you practice?"

In stark contrast, she was actually quite civil… well... civil without the constant threats of dismemberment.

"Oh no, I'm not a medical voodoo doctor… my fields are astrophysics and mechanical engineering, real science."

He mentally kicked himself; he always talked too much when he was nervous. The strange and almost offended look Dr Manning gave him was similar to ones he'd gotten from Dr Keller when talking about the same subject.

"Uhh…Well of course….not that being a medical doctor is a bad thing, I mean, I've always had to go to doctors my whole life for one thing or another and if they were all voodoo priests than maybe I'd be dead already, not that I want to be dead! Actually, I love Medical doctors! My girlfriend is a medical doctor and…"

Dr Manning snickered, which was the last thing Rodney was expecting.

"Calm down Doctor. I agree. The field of Medicine is quite boring; perhaps you'd like to share some of your knowledge in our lab?"

Rodney gulped, maybe he wasn't about to die, but he didn't like the way she so eloquently volunteered his help in whatever diabolical scheme this so called Enclave was working on.

* * *

"Jesus! What the hell is that thing!?"

Vega took cover quickly, as did the other two. She wasn't used to wearing such heavy armor and it slowed her down a bit. She tried to make heads or tails of the assault rifle she'd scavenged off the Talon Mercs when the 6 foot tall monster in front of them had scared the life out of her.

It looked like the crustacean version of a demon, a heavily armoured shell around a bi-pedal creature. A pair of very sharp looking pincers as well as rows of teeth on what looked like a face made Vega swear she'd never do drugs again.

"Mirelurk hunter... you guys really aren't from around here are you?"

John, feeling a bit strange since he took the stimpack Robert told him to take that he'd taken off the corpse of the first Talon Mercs, kept low and hid behind the corner of the building they were passing.

"Oh does it show? I'd have thought I'd fit right into this place."

Robert chuckled, and put something that looked like a battery into his rifle.

"Mind giving me a hand with our dinner?"

Vega shuddered, his words left a nasty taste in her mouth.

"You wanna _eat_ that thing? It looks like it could cut me in half!"

Robert shrugged, and flicked the safety off his gauss rifle.

"Oh trust me, it could. But that's the thing about Mirelurks, they're definitely dangerous and quite deadly, but they're also incredibly delicious and nutritious!"

He didn't wait to hear their replies as he stepped out, and crouching, took a shot with the heavy rifle.

The now familiar whoosh sound was highlighted by the crack as the Mirelurk was knocked down, the shot tearing into its main body shattering it's crusty exterior. It struggled to get back up and Robert waved John and Vega forward.

"Come on! It's not dead yet!"

John nodded vehemently to Vega and both jumped out as well, laying down fire on the beast.

Robert reloaded his rifle, tossing the spent micro fusion cell over his shoulder. He slammed a new one into place, and taking careful aim between the volley of rifle fire from Vega, and laser fire from John, put another 2MM round square into the head of the Mirelurk Hunter.

It finally squirmed and died, its right claw torn clean off. Behind him, emerging from the river, a pair of smaller but equally deadly looking Mirelurks came out in full rage.

"Oh shit! Aim for the legs!"

Robert started to backpedal, and slammed another micro fusion cell into the ancient gauss rifle. John, now standing beside him, fumbled trying to reload the laser rifle.

"Who built this confusing piece of junk!?"

Robert fired, and knocked the Mirelurk on the left back and it slid down the gentle slope back into the water, it probably wasn't dead, but it wouldn't cause too much problems now, the other 'lurk was only a few feet away now.

Vega moved in and pushed Robert back, ignoring his words and instead aiming her now reloaded assault rifle to the face of the oncoming monster. She held the trigger down and 4 seconds worth of automatic fire poured into the Mirelurks face, completely stunning it as it stumbled around confused.

John finally managed to reload the laser rifle, and shouldering it, hammered shot after shot into the staggered Mirelurk, tasting the surprisingly delicious scent of cooked crab on the air from the impacts.

Robert on the other hand, pulled what looked like a sword out from his backpack and charged ahead, seemingly unafraid of the giant pincers. He spun the sword around and a great flame burst from it suddenly as he drove it into the 'lurk, both cooking and cleaving a deep crevasse into it. He swung again and again until the Mirelurk didn't move anymore.

The other Mirelurk, seeing what happened to his friend, decided to live another day and swam away in the irradiated murk of the river.

Robert shut the flames off his shiskebab sword, and used it to cut into the now dead Mirelurk. He sniffed the air and smiled at the taste.

"See what I mean? Deadly, yet delicious."

* * *

A/N: There's plenty of Fallout References so far and for those who haven't played the game, a Mirelurk is a giant mutated crab, and I'm assuming that the Lone Wanderer has already helped the Outcasts in the Operation Anchorage expansion, hence the Chinese Stealth Suit and Gauss rifle. I'll try and explain some of the factions as time goes on and in a non obvious way.

I've got some semblance of a plot already drawn up, but just like the game I can always add stuff if people want. I'm also _sorta_ making it an AU but that won't come into play until the next chapter.


	3. Learning the Wasteful Way

"Ok, that was by far the _scariest_ moment of my life! I think I might have lost a few years of my life on that one!"

Rodney was hyperventilating; Dr Manning was trying to calm him down and went up to the stasis unit.

"It's perfectly safe; he's been sedated so heavily I doubt he'll ever wake up. But this Deathclaw is only the tip of the kinds of technology we possess.

Rodney had been worried as he entered the lab, it had a dark and foreboding feel to it and the sight of the 9 foot monstrosity, even inside a sealed stasis unit, had made Rodney think perhaps he was really entering the depths of hell. Falling down into an open grate only served to further that suspicion.

"Deathclaw? That sounds like a pretty fitting name…"

Dr Manning laughed, and gave him a hand to climb back onto the main grating.

"It is, but that's not what I want to show you."

He shimmied up and tripped as he got to his feet. Dr Manning held him up and he felt her surprisingly strong hand holding him up.

"Careful there… You don't want any of these soldiers thinking you're not going to cooperate. They'll shoot first and never bother asking a question."

Rodney dusted himself off, completely missing the strange sentiment she gave him.

"Yeah… I'll try and be more careful. But warn me about these things _please_!"

She giggled and pulled him along, looking around for any soldiers or cameras.

"I have something I've been working on; hopefully you can help me with it. So should you because if you can't help me, Autumn's meatheads'll feed you to the 'claws."

She leaned in closer and whispered.

"I lost my last assistant the same way. I'm hoping I don't have to see that again."

Rodney got a confused look on his face, and he realised just how totalitarian the Enclave must be, and exactly how much danger he was in.

They reached her lab, unusually adorned with physics equipment and power generators. Dr Manning moved forward and punched in a code, then cracked open a safe built into her desk.

"This is what Autumn wants you to check out; he wants to build more of them or failing that, something similar."

She pulled out the weapon, and Rodney couldn't help but react.

"Oh my god! That's a…. uhh… I mean…"

He shrugged, and knew right away from Dr Manning's smile that she knew he knew what it was.

"Seems you just might survive Dr McKay, I'm glad."

* * *

"2 Berettas, 48 bullets left between us, a few MRE's, a pair of canteens and a pair of flash bangs. That's all we've got left sir. Those scavengers and the Enclave got the rest."

John sighed and cracked his knuckles; the small armoury of the Jumper would have come in very handy now and reduced to only handguns and stolen weapons, it was unlikely he'd be able to search for Rodney in such a dangerous environment. Vega tried to get comfortable inside the Talon Combat armor, but it didn't fit properly and she was starting to get a callus on her elbows. John felt equally uncomfortable in the bulky armor and wished he could find something lighter. Robert was at the side tending to the fire he was cooking the meat on, musing almost to himself.

"That's better than what I started out with. Seems like such a long time ago."

John and Vega were confused with his ramblings, and took inventory of their looted gear.

"The armor we stole looks like it's in pretty bad shape, but it'll do a better job than our Kevlar vests. I've got maybe 4 clips for this assault rifle, and a few medical syringes I have no clue about. Your laser rifle has maybe 2 full clips left."

Robert whistled and motioned them over, he handed each a stick with pieces of the Mirelurk meat on it. They sat down and began to eat, still feeling a little awkward.

"This armor stinks, isn't there a Laundromat around here?"

She took another bite from the Mirelurk meat, amazed at how similar it was to crab. Robert grunted and spun another piece of the meat over the fire he'd built.

"Trust me; you'll fit in better smelly than you would clean. Believe me I understand better than most around here about hygiene, but the more you smell like this place, the better you'll fit it. Besides, I don't think I've seen a bar of soap since I was back in the vault."

John chuckled and swallowed the tasty bite he'd taken.

"So Rob, how bout you give us a little history on this place? If I'm gonna rescue my friend I'd rather not piss off anymore of the locals."

Robert choked as he laughed, and pulled a bottle from his rucksack.

"You're not serious are you? Not only are you guys completely lost, not only do you not know jack about this place, but you're actually considering taking on the Enclave? Hell I've barely survived the two times I've met them and both involved the words 'running' and 'away'."

John shrugged.

"Buddy, there's so much I could tell you, but lets just leave it at this. I'm not leaving Rodney to those bastards. I'll do just about whatever it takes to make sure he gets out of here with us."

Vega remained quiet. If it were up to her she'd rather try and get in contact with Atlantis, but she was willing to trust Colonel Sheppard's instincts and follow his lead. Robert leaned back and stared back at John.

"Oh? Well I gotta say, you're in for one hell of a fight. Even the brotherhood has trouble dealing with them. But I can see you two are tougher than you look…"

Vega sighed and smacked her lips. Wiping them with the Talon combat armor sleeve, she reiterated John's question.

"Well… if you could tell us who's who around here, maybe we'll be okay on our own."

Robert smiled, and took a swig from his bottle.

"Well, for starters there's the Enclave..."

* * *

"You know what this is. Don't try and deny it."

Dr Manning was moving closer, and Rodney felt intimidated.

"Uh well… I mean I thought I recognized it… but…"

She took another step closer, and trapped him against a desk.

"You're a lot smarter than you show. But unless you explain how you recognize alien technology, you'll have a lot more to worry about than what you do or don't know about."

She took her glasses off, and sighed.

"It's okay… Rod… I'm not like the others here."

She held her hand out and tried to calm him down.

"Uhh.. well… ok… I guess…"

Rodney took her hand, still feeling a bit threatened but decided to try and do what Sheppard would be doing, seducing the hired help and making an escape.

"Alright… well… it's not an _alien blaster_. It's an energy pistol made by a race known as the ancients."

She picked up a notepad and sat on the table beside him, He was eerily disturbed by how quickly she was able to sidle up next to him.

* * *

"So you guys are from some space station?"

John, feeling incredibly tired and very light headed from the Med-X Robert had injected him with to work on his laser wound, mumbled to Vega to go ahead, as he was in no condition to speak. She chuckled ruefully and replied in his stead

"Not exactly, but we do work in space."

Robert nodded, but was more pedantic than anything else as he used a scalpel and some tweezers to pull the melted vest out of John's chest. Every few seconds, John groaned as another fibre was pulled out of his skin and a burned and bloodied mess was left. Rob was a decent medic though and kept the bleeding to a minimum. He mumbled as he worked.

"Through those Stargate things?"

Alicia nodded, and patted Sheppard on the shoulder when he grimaced in pain.

"Yeah, it's a network connecting hundreds of worlds. There's one in orbit of this planet right now."

With a gentle touch, Rob finished cutting John free of the Kevlar vest. He groaned in pain and accepted the gauze Rob handed him from his first aid kit. Rob nodded absentmindedly and kept the smartass tone.

"So you guys had absolutely no clue whatsoever as to what was here, and three of you came in that… ship to survey the planet?"

Vega nodded, and felt a little uncomfortable with the slick look Rob gave her.

"It's our job, we explore and we search for technology from the same race that built the city we're occupying."

"The Ancients?"

"Yep."

He smiled, and finished applying the field dressing to John's shoulder.

"You do realise just how insane you sound right?"

Alicia sighed, and John, despite being heavily stoned from the medicine, managed to chuckle mindlessly.

"Oh yeah…I've heard that one before…"

John got up and wobbled around a bit, Rob, seeing the potential catastrophe, pulled him back down and forced him to sit.

"Relax… that stuff should wear off soon. Then we'll head out."

He waved Vega to come and take over controlling the stoned John Sheppard. John licked his lips, trying to moisten his dried mouth.

"So where are you taking us? It's getting kinda late."

Rob washed his hands in some water he'd gotten from the river. He looked at his hands contemplatively, and then turned to them.

"I was going to take you to Rivet City, but I think the Brotherhood might want to talk to you guys first. The Citadel is only a few kilometres up river and frankly, it's the safest place for you guys."

John mumbled, and Vega leaned in to translate.

"Uhh… those are the guys who are like knights or something right… and they worship technology?"

Rob chuckled.

"Sorta. They protect the old technology from before the war and the ones around here use it to fight the super mutants who dominate the downtown area."

"Uhh… Super Mutants?"

Rob cleared his throat, and sighed.

"You'll recognize them the moment you see em. Big ugly fuckers with big fucking guns. Just pray they don't see you."

John tried to get Alicia's attention, but in his drugged stupor, ended up just poking her in the ribs. She instinctively reacted and slapped his hand away, but then realised that he didn't mean any offence

"Ow! Colonel! You okay?"

John laughed insanely; he swayed about in place and giggled incoherently.

"I'm fucking wasted Captain."

Alicia rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder.

"Keep calm Colonel, it'll pass soon."

Rob chuckled and started packing up camp. Alicia did the same and John, slowly getting more and more coherent, helped out where he could. He started asking random questions.

"So Rob, what the hell is a vault?"

* * *

"Wow… I would have never thought of that. You're such a genius Doctor McKay!"

Dr Manning looked genuinely amazed; Rodney had given her just enough information to modify a regular Plasma Rifle to fire more efficiently and with more power. He didn't think it would make too much of a difference and more importantly, they wouldn't feed him to those Deathclaw monsters.

"Yes well… just a matter of using all the energy properly."

She picked up the modified plasma rifle, and waved over one of the power armoured soldiers. The man stomped over and looked down at the diminutive woman.

"Yes Ma-am?"

She handed the rifle to him.

"Go out to the firing range and give this a test run Sergeant, see how much more efficient and stronger it is that our regular rifles."

The soldier nodded, and grumbled in McKay's direction. He slung the rifle around his back and motioned for another soldier to take his place. Rodney felt a bit light headed and realised he hadn't eaten in 5 hours.

"Uhh... look… I'm not sure if you guys know what Hypoglycaemia is… but is there any chance I can get something to eat? I'm starving here."

She gave him a surprised look, and then nodded.

"I think we've done good work today, I'm sure Colonel Autumn will have some questions for you, but I think he'll be pleased with your progress so far."

Rodney, feeling elated, suddenly got worried as he wondered what he could possibly be given to eat.

* * *

"Wait! Wait damnit! It's Rob! I'm James's Son! I came here with Dr Li 2 days ago!"

John and Vega had taken cover, using a pair of boulders to hide from the sudden spray of minigun fire. Rob had rushed forward waving his arms in the air. A mechanical voice boomed over a loudspeaker.

"Drop your weapons! If you don't comply immediately you will be shot!"

"Damnit Vargas! You know it's me! I'm bringing these two to talk to Elder Lyons!"

Rob was screaming, seemingly unafraid of the heavily armoured guards and the giant clunky looking robot that had fired on them. John and Vega watched as the man named Vargas stepped forward and faced off with Rob.

"You're bringing two Talon Mercenaries to talk to Elder Lyons? I would have thought you'd know better by now."

Rob leaned in and stared down the Paladin.

"They're not Talon! It's a long story but they're not Talon and Elder Lyons needs to hear what they have to say! Now either shoot me now or let me through!"

Both John and Vega were impressed; neither would have ever faced off with such a heavily armed guard and said the same. Vargas seemed to acquiesce and waved the Sentry Bot down.

The Citadel was a massive complex; John could make out weapon emplacements all over and areas that looked like reinforced bunkers. Down river, he could see the forecfield that they'd seen on their initial scouting run. It stood in stark contrast to the devastated wasteland around them. Vargas's rough voice boomed through his suit's speakers.

"Alright, come on out you two, Move it!"

John and Vega nodded to each other, and kept their weapons holstered. Neither thought they would be able to win a fight with these guys and Sheppard, deciding to trust Rob and his high opinion of the brotherhood stepped out with his hands up.

"Alright! See? No weapons! Don't shoot!"

Vargas waved them over and hooked his thumb towards the massive entrance.

"Get yer ass inside before I change my mind."

John was still a little dizzy from treatment, and Alicia held his arm to steady him as they moved forward. With caution, they neared the large Sentry Bot guarding the massive door. It moved its large minigun to one side and seemed to bow to them as it spoke in a mechanical voice.

"Have a Nice Day Citizen."

If they didn't feel so threatened, it would have been hysterical.

They followed Rob deeper into the Citadel, and looking at the structure realised that it was an old military outpost. Posters of propaganda against the dastardly communists painted a dark similarity to their own world.

'Captain, see those posters?"

"Yeah Colonel… creepy. Think that's what caused the war?"

"Probably, let's keep quiet and see what this Elder guy is gonna do."

They stayed close, untrusting of the Brotherhood Initiates training in the courtyard with various weapons. The constant sound of bullets and sizzling air from laser weapons put them both on edge even though Rob seemed relatively calm.

An older man in a dark blue robe came up, with a strange looking smile on his face. A strong faced young woman with blonde hair and power armor walked next to him, seemingly escorting him.

"Robert, as glad as I am to see you are still alive I think I can safely assume you have not found a GECK in this short time. And now you bring me more wastelanders? As much as I feel for your situation I cannot take in every stray you find."

Rob nodded respectfully, and looked at both of them.

"Hello to you too Elder, You're looking pissed off as ever Sentinel."

The woman gave him a hard stare, but there was the air of respect as well.

"Don't push it Rob."

Rob chuckled and motioned to John and Vega.

"I'm guessing you guys saw that battle over by the memorial a few hours ago. These are the passengers of the ship the Enclave shot down."

Both Elder Lyons and Sarah gave surprised looks to the pair of Atlanteans, Owyn moved forward and looked him up and down.

"If Robert trusts you… then perhaps I may too. I am Elder Owyn Lyons and this is my Daughter, Sentinel Sarah Lyons."

Both John and Alicia made respectful bows of their heads; they could tell these were not people you wanted to anger. Elder Lyons continued.

"What are your names travellers?"

John stepped forward, and swayed a bit in place, the med-x had worn off, but was still making him a little light headed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Elder Lyons, My name is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, and this is Captain Alicia Vega."

As he spoke, Sentinel Sarah Lyons moved forward and stood threateningly close to them.

"Are you Enclave? No one uses those ranks anymore!"

Elder Lyons put his hand in front of Sarah holding her back.

"Calm yourself daughter, I do not believe the Enclave would shoot down their own people. Let them explain themselves and then we shall see."

John sighed, and rubbed his head. Vega helped steady him and spoke.

"Any chance we can sit down Elder? The Colonel's been hurt and he's still a little dazed from the treatment Rob gave him."

Elder Lyons nodded, and motioned over to a bench; Sarah moved beside him and stood between him and Rob. Vega helped Sheppard onto the bench and handed him her canteen. He waved it off and looked up at the Elder.

"I know this is gonna sound crazy, but from what I can tell you might understand me a little better than most. I'm part of an expedition from another galaxy exploring this one. We travel between planets using devices known as Stargates, and our main base of operations in this galaxy is known as Atlantis."

Elder Lyons stayed still; Sarah Lyons scoffed and moved away dragging Rob with her. She was probably going to chew him out for bringing two insane wastelanders into the highly secure base. Vega nodded to Sheppard and added.

"We came to this planet because we received a radio signal through the Stargate, it was a man calling himself "Three-Dog" and he was talking about Yao-Guai or something. We came in a ship to investigate when we saw those forcefields at the head of the river."

Elder Lyons seemed reticent to speak, and instead motioned for them to continue, off to the side Sarah and Rob were having an argument, neither willing to back down. John took the reins again and continued.

"We were just taking a look around when the Enclave found us. They ordered us to surrender to them and before we could really react they shot us down. Rob managed to pull me and Captain Vega here out of the wreckage, but the Enclave captured our other crewmember, Dr Rodney McKay."

John could tell Elder Lyons believed him, he'd played poker enough times to see the veins on his face begin to pulse faster and harder. His old weathered face moved ever so slightly in reaction.

"Is he a Doctor of Medicine, or of Science?"

John chuckled, and summoned his inner McKay.

"Science; he considers Medicine voodoo compared to what he calls 'real science'. He's our chief of engineering and research for our entire expedition. I know it's crazy, and Rob's already told me I'm insane, but I'm gonna do everything I can to rescue him."

Elder Lyons took a look around, and seeing that no one was in ear shot whispered.

"I need you to think about this and answer earnestly. In terms of technology, how superior would you say your people are to us?"

Both John and Vega gave each other surprised looks. John smacked his lips and kept his voice low.

"Well… before we got shot down Dr McKay guessed that you were about 50 years ahead of our home planet's technology, but our reverse engineered technology makes most of yours look a bit… well primitive to be honest... no offence."

Elder Lyons sighed. He closed his eyes as if worried.

"I was afraid of that… The Enclave will find out soon enough and force your friend to help them become even more technologically superior."

"Wait, you believe us? What aren't you telling us?"

Sarah and Rob began to walk back to join them. Elder Lyons gave them a stern look and finger motion that told them to be quiet about what they'd talked about. He turned to face Sarah and Rob and nodded.

"Sarah… If you would be so kind as to have quarters set up for our guests. I am sure they are exhausted from the unforgiving wasteland."

"Father? What are you…?"

He moved forward and spoke softly to her.

"Sarah, I do not keep many things from you, but this is one of them. I must ask you to not speak of what you have heard and keep our guests isolated."

He turned back to John and nodded.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I will explain once you have rested and I am able to gather… my wits. If you'd like I will send a doctor to take a look at your wounds, Rob is a competent medic but I can see you are in serious pain."

John nodded and motioned for Vega to help him up; Sarah Lyons faced off with him and pursed her lips.

"If my father thinks you are trustworthy, then so will I. Follow me."

John and Vega followed her, with Rob the 'Lone Wanderer' staying behind with Elder Lyons to talk. It seemed that for the moment, they were safe, but not in control.

* * *

"Mmmm this is actually pretty tasty. What do you call it again?"

Rodney was busy stuffing his face, he'd finished one plate and was working on his second, Dr Manning across from him giggled at seeing him so calm and excited at the same time.

"Mirelurk cakes. It's a sea creature that is surprisingly good once it's been cleaned of the radiation."

Rodney froze.

"Radiation!? This is _irradiated_?!"

He dropped his fork and it bounced up off the table, and fell through the grating to the crawlspace below. A pair of soldiers moved closer but Dr Manning held her hands up, ordering them to stay.

"Wait! No no no! Dr McKay it's perfectly safe!"

Rodney rubbed his face and tugged on his hair dejectedly.

"Oh god I've ingested radiation… I'm probably going to mutate into a giant crab monster now or at least become sterile… That's the balance of the universe for you, I finally get a girlfriend I love and the next time I eat I end up sterile!"

Dr Manning tried to resist laughing, but after a moment she cracked and leaned on the table to support herself as she cackled. Some of the soldiers chuckled as well at the expense of the poor Dr McKay. He sadly muttered to himself.

"Oh yeah laugh it up… everybody in the galaxy already does, but they're not the ones who're never gonna pass their intellectual genes onto the next generation!"

Dr Manning finally controlled herself, and took a moment to fix her glasses and hair. She took a few deep breaths and then finally took Rodney's hand. He tensed as he was not expecting such a tender move. Her dulcet tones both calmed and terrified him.

"Don't worry Rod, we've purified all this food and water here, no radiation persists in it. If you were outside in the wasteland then yes, you probably would end up dead or even worse… _ghoulified_…"

She added extra distaste to the word Ghoul, and Rodney, internally terrified that this woman may be trying to seduce his knowledge out of him, drifted his thoughts to Dr Keller to maintain a sense of control. She stroked her fingers along the tops of his sensually.

"Uhh… what's a… ghoul?"

She let go of his hand and shuddered in fear.

"They're monsters… they used to be people but they were exposed to so much radiation they mutated into these… skinless zombie freaks… I hear they live in the old metro subway tunnels and only leave to grab people to eat them. That's part of why we need your help Rodney."

McKay carefully took the remains of the Mirelurk cake in his hands examining it as if he could see the particles of radiation on it. He furrowed his brow and looked up at her.

"What do you mean?"

She smiled and took his hand again.

"We're trying to rebuild the world Rodney, no more radiation, no more monsters, and no more war. We need your help to guarantee we'll be able do to that!"

"But… you guys shot me and my friends down! You didn't even give us a chance to explain!"

She shook her head, and seemed apologetic.

"Autumn and his meatheads are only part of the Enclave Rod, there's a lot of good people and we're all working to make this a good place to live. They thought you were part of the Brotherhood of Steel. A bunch of smarter than average raiders who steal technology from us. Please Rodney, we need your help."

Slowly, Rodney began to think that perhaps she was right, if the world was populated with monsters like that 'Deathclaw'. Maybe the Enclave was right.


	4. Treatment, The Synonym

**Treatment, the Synonym **

_Note: thanks to Shadow-Of-Realm for beta. Yes I think Mr Gutsy is the pure lulz too._

* * *

"What is the nature of the medical emergency!?"

Both John and Alicia shot up from their bunks, the sudden opening of the door to their quarters and the louder-than-it-had-to-be voice shocked them into full alertness.

Both scurried back and looked for a weapon when they saw the giant mechanical tentacled robot enter. A servo whined as the top section with a sensor looked at one, and then the other.

"Salutations Civilians! Gutsy Class Robotic Soldier Model number 3629 Designation 'Sawbones' is here to help!"

The voice was loud, much more than was needed. It sounded like an overly excited soldier eager for combat. John sat up straight in his bunk and looked at him.

"Uhh… hello there. I'm gonna take a wild guess but would I be right in assuming you're the resident doctor in this place?"

The Robot's sensor bulb nodded, and the tentacles swung around in place gleefully.

"Correct! I have been reprogrammed by the Brotherhood of Steel to attend to any and all medical needs for those residing in the Citadel! I am reporting as ordered to treat the wounds of two VIPs. Are you them?"

Alicia, a little more wary of robots with saw blades and what looked like weapons attached to those tentacles, tensed up and asked the question that worried her.

"Yes, but… what were you originally programmed to do?"

The Robot straightened itself out, proudly yelling out its mission.

"Sir! The Gutsy Class of Robotic Soldier was built by General Atomic Corporation for one purpose and one purpose alone! To eradicate the communist threat to these sovereign states! In simpler terms, Nothing makes me feel more fulfilled than making some other poor bastard die for his country! Gutsy Class Robots come fully equipped with everything a good soldier needs for such conflict! Armaments include Plasma Projection cannon, and Mark 4 incendiary weapon!"

Both John and Alicia were dumbfounded, the people of this world had very strange ideas of robotic personalities. John got up out of the bunk and stood in front of the robot, examining him.

"So… why are you playing doctor?"

The robot made a noise akin to an angry frustrated growl.

"As I have said, the Brotherhood reprogrammed me to be their base doctor… To be perfectly honest I think they're selfish assholes hogging all the action!"

John did a double take, it was by far the last thing he was expecting; to see a robot curse at its situation.

"Uhh… well… I guess we _are_ the VIPs you were sent here to patch up… I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, and this is Captain Alicia Vega."

The Robot froze, and one of the tentacles shot up and saluted them smartly. As impossible as they thought it was, the Robot seemed to get even more formal.

"Sirs! It is an honor to serve my superior officers in this man's army! Communism will never stand! By your Command Sir!"

John looked back at Vega, and shrugging he gave the Robot a smart salute back.

"At ease… soldier."

The Robot let its tentacles down, and hovered in place. It's voice calmed a bit, but sounded more formal.

"Sir, it will be a privilege to treat your wounds sir. Please sit down and disrobe!"

Alicia let a titter out, and bit her thumb to keep from laughing. John gave her an irritated glance and sat down on the bench.

"That… won't be needed soldier, I've just got a burn wound on my shoulder I would like you to treat."

"As you wish Colonel!"

John sat down and pulled the Talon combat armor off, exposing the bloodied field dressing and most of his chest. He kept his eyes on the Robot, but noticed Alicia smirk as she looked at his body. Sheppard smiled deviously, his boyish charm taking over, and spoke half-seductively.

"Ah… Like what you see?"

Before Vega could respond, Sawbones replied.

"Yes sir! It is good to see our military commanders are in such good physical condition! Lead by example, Hoorah!"

Now Vega couldn't take it anymore, she huffed loudly as she laughed and fell sideways onto the side of the bed, muffling her laugh with the pillow she'd been napping on. Sheppard groaned in embarrassment and muttered.

"Thanks… both of you."

Sawbones didn't reply, and instead used a scanner to examine John's wound. Vega smiled and once she had some semblance of control, she apologized for laughing. John shook his head and dismissed the whole ordeal with a wave of his hand and snicker. Sawbones finished scanning and in his booming voice gave his findings.

"Examination complete! Damage assessment, 2nd degree burns along pectorals major. Cause: Impact from AER9 Military Issue Laser Rifle! Continuing! Severe epidermal laceration stemming from inadequate plastics protection exacerbated by incompetent field work! Recommend plasto-skin treatment for damage, and in future circumstances, ducking or wearing heavier armor!"

The blunt and almost offensive style of speech the robot had for a bedside manner made John nostalgic for Dr Keller's failed wit.

"Uhh… yeah, I'll take that under advisement. Go ahead Soldier."

The robot swung one of it's tentacles into a storage compartment and pulled out something like a paint gun attached to a hose. He pointed it at the blistered wound and hesitated.

"Uhh… under normal circumstance I would thoroughly enjoy delivering pain, but I am loath to do this to a superior officer and fellow soldier."

John furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Say what?"

"Translation: This is going to hurt Sir, A lot."

John looked at the sensor diode that stared at him, and sighed heavily.

"Do it."

The spray began immediately, and the robot was right, it hurt like hell. John dug his fingers into the mattress and clenched his jaw. The robot growled and yelled like a drill instructor.

"Man up Soldier! Pain is just weakness leaving the body!"

John resisted punching the sensor bulb and endured the searing pain. It only took a few moments for the wound to be completely covered, and before John could say anything else, Sawbones pulled out a new dressing and slapped it on his unceremoniously. John groaned as he got hit and had to take a few moments to breathe as he doubled over..

"Thank you… Sawbones…"

The Robot saluted again, and then turned to Vega.

"Treatment complete! Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard is ready for action! Now moving to next patient. Please sit down and disrobe Captain!"

Now it was John's turn to snicker, Alicia got wide eyes and she shirked away, instinctively protecting herself by crossing her arms in front of her torso.

"Uhh that's ok Sawbones… I'm… just a little sore from the crash."

Sawbones nodded, and turned back towards the door.

"Recommend massage therapy from competent human medic! Examination of VIPs complete! Do you have any further orders for this soldier?!"

John put his shirt back on, and stood.

"Uh… no. you can go back to your former duty."

The robot hesitated moving and looked to John.

"Sir, I respectfully request reassignment to front lines!"

"Sorry Sawbones, Not my call. But… I'll talk to Elder Lyons about it. Dismissed!"

He could swear he heard the robot grumble softly, as if it were under it's breath, but it reluctantly raised its tentacle again and saluted.

"Yes Sir! Returning to Infirmary!"

The robot opened the door, and left leaving the two Atlanteans in a state of dazed humor.

* * *

"Dr Manning tells me that you ah something of a use to her. So for the moment, you shall be our guest here at Raven Rock. But do not mistake mah hospitality for vulnerabilitay, if you so much as breathe in the wrong di-rection, I will have you shot, and your entrails fed to my Deathclaws. Is that unda-stood?"

The strange phonetic accent Colonel Autumn had would be hilarious, if he weren't threatening to turn Rodney into cattle feed.

"Uhh… yeah I guess."

He leaned forward menacingly.

"No you do not guess, You either know or you don't, which will it be?"

"Yes yes! Please… I'll cooperate!"

Autumn smiled, and handed Rodney a notebook.

"Stupendous! This is a project the Enclave has been working on. You will assist our scientists with this as well as Dr Manning with weapons research. You will also assist our technicians in reverse engineering your craft! Do I make myself clear?"

Rodney gulped, and nodded.

"Crystal… yes!"

Autumn nodded and motioned a soldier over. He stomped over and loomed over both of them.

"Yes Colonel?"

"Escort our… guest to his quarters on sublevel four, have a guard assigned to him 24/7. He is to assist our scientists and technicians with any query or duty. If he refuses to cooperate, feed him to mah Deathclaw!"

The Soldier turned to Rodney and hissed with pleasure.

"Yes sir."

Autumn got up and signalled for the Soldier to take Rodney out of his office, with his heavy power armor, the soldier picked Rodney up with one hand and began to push him out. Rodney scurried along, trying to stay ahead and seemingly cooperating.

Rodney was getting worried now. With his radio confiscated, he had no clue as to whether John and Vega had even survived the crash. Since they weren't there with him when the Enclave showed up, someone must have taken them. Whether they were slavers like Autumn tried to suggest, or something worse, he didn't have a clue. But something happened to them as he knew Sheppard wouldn't leave him to be captured willingly.

He was going over any possible way to escape. He could try and seduce this Doctor Dephany Manning into letting him go, but from his conversations with her, she seemed dedicated to the Enclave. She kept talking about how they were going to save the planet, and make sure humanity survives in it's best form. She told him of the mutations and the horrible things they've done. He couldn't help but feel that she was either exaggerating it, or just a bit ignorant of the situation. She seemed almost innocent in a way.

He felt the typical feeling of despair, being trapped once more and with nowhere to turn but patience. Even if Colonel Sheppard and Captain Vega were incapacitated, it would be a day before Atlantis sent a rescue team. Unfortunately, Rodney's intelligence served to make him even less happy about that. With the planet's inherent radiation, it was doubtful in his mind that even if Daedalus were to come into orbit, his comrades would be able to track his subcutaneous transmitter.

So he started to settle in for the long run, he felt the warm barrel of the Plasma rifle dig into his back and the Enclave Soldier's gravely voice over his suit's speakers.

"Turn left, and don't make any sudden moves."

Rodney, summoning his inner Sheppard replied softly.

"Well... uhh… I wasn't exactly planning on it."

He didn't know exactly what happened, but he heard a crack and felt the butt of the plasma rifle nail him in the back of the head. He didn't lose consciousness completely, and was half delirious as he felt one of his feet being tugged, and his limp body unceremoniously tossed into a room. The impact of hitting the ground finished the job and he lost consciousness completely on the floor of his new cell.

* * *

"You awake Colonel?"

John opened one eye, and pondered the question. His hand was lain across his forehead trying to dull the throbbing ache.

"Is that supposed to be rhetorical?"

She snickered softly, and yawned, her body scrunching up and trying to flex the stiff muscles.

"I guess it is… can't sleep either Sir?"

John stretched his arms, in such an unfamiliar environment, he couldn't force himself to sleep restfully. Neither could Alicia apparently. He turned his head on the pillow and looked at her.

"This pillow isn't exactly my memory foam mattress back home. I'm probably gonna give us a few days off once we get outta here. Go golfing or something."

Vega was on her side, a blanket covering her as she tried to rest. The waiting had finally gotten to her and she decided to try and have a conversation with her superior officer.

"Thanks Sir, next time I say I want to get some practice with a Jumper please stun me. I might get some better sleep that way."

John chuckled and rubbed his shoulder where the burn had mostly been healed.

"Say what you will about their robots, their medicine is pretty advanced. I can hardly feel any pain anymore."

Vega nodded absentmindedly and sighed. She rolled around in the bunk opposite of the wall where John's bunk was and made a frustrated sound. She got up and leaned on the wall with her head resting on her shoulder.

"Mind if I ask you something Sir?"

He got up as well, trying to keep from passing out in such an uncomfortable position.

"Shoot, and enough with the 'Sir's… we're not exactly in a formal situation and besides… you're making me feel old."

She chuckled and stretched her neck. It was strange to not use the honorific he deserved, but she had heard he was a bit more laid back than other command level officers.

"Is it always like this?"

"Hmm?"

She sat up straighter and furrowed her brow.

"Getting shot down, eating giant crabs that are trying to kill you, waiting in a damp bunker for someone else to decide what to do with you…"

John laughed as he rubbed his face, the bags under his eyes felt heavy and sore.

"Nah, usually it's a lot more boring than this. Except for McKay getting captured... that's just standard protocol."

They chuckled, and Vega tried to decrypt what he meant.

"You really care about him don't you?"

John shrugged, feeling just slightly offended.

"Well he is part of my team… and despite his _many_ shortcomings he's always come through for us."

She leaned forward and held her head in her hand, curious.

"I guess… I dunno if I'd be able to stand him though. He seems so…"

John smirked.

"Arrogant? Hypochondriac? Incessantly annoying? I could go on…"

She giggled and ran her fingers through her hair, irritated at how the dry atmosphere had frizzled her straight hair.

"How about, all of the above?"

John laughed out loud, and sighed contentedly.

"Yep, but he's also trustworthy… courageous, and completely loyal. He's changed a lot since we first came to Pegasus and I'm proud of him."

She smiled, and despite having her own opinion of the genius doctor, let the issue drop.

"You think he's okay?"

He nodded without hesitation.

"I learned a long time ago that people seem to like keeping him alive. And if the Enclave is anything like what Elder Lyons said, I don't doubt for a second that he's alive."

Before she could reply, a knock on the door got them both to their feet, ready for another robotic encounter. John finger combed his hair instinctively and spoke loudly.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Sarah Lyons entered the room, her armor covering all but her head.

"The Elder and our council are ready for you. I hope you got some rest."

John sighed and nodded.

"We should be so lucky; let's go."

* * *

Rodney was incredibly comfortable. The bed he was in was perfectly supportive and the pillow beneath his head formed a blissful rest in him.

Jennifer was there with him, her hair set loose and her smile warming him with its sincerity.

"Hey Jennifer… was I dreaming?"

She nodded, and held out a spoon with some chocolate pudding on it. He sighed contentedly and leaned forward to take it in his mouth. As he wrapped his lips around the spoon though, he noticed that he couldn't taste it at all.

"Uhh… What kind of pudding is this?"

She shrugged.

"It's chocolate! Your favourite!"

He took the spoon and licked it, cleaning it of the last bit of pudding. Still nothing.

"I can't taste it! What's wrong with me!?"

She shook her head and furrowed her brow as she held him down like an ignorant child.

"Rodney… Rodney… we've been over this… You were exposed to radiation on the planet. Your taste buds have lost all effect and your reproductive organs have become sterile…"

He froze in shock, and looked into his pants to see quite the small surprise.

"AHH!!! Jennifer! Help me please! There has to be something you can do! Do any voodoo spell you have to, PLEASE!!!"

She shrugged cutesy, and Ronon entered the room.

"It's alright Rodney! Without taste you might end up losing some weight, and Ronon here has volunteered to be a surrogate father for you. Isn't he just a sweetie?"

Ronon pulled Keller up and planted his lips hard on hers. She reacted positively and then jumped up wrapping her legs around his waist. Ronon slammed her into the wall and growled like an animal as they clawed at each other. She screamed as if having an orgasm.

"Oh _GOD_! Our children are gonna be _FREAKIN_'_ PERFECT_ Rodney!!"

Rodney began to scream in horror and as he tried to get up, an unseen force kept him down on the ground. He thrashed and shrieked in catatonic terror as he saw Ronon slam his girlfriend into a table and assorted clothing fly by his face to the background of orgasmic screams.

* * *

"Wake up! Wake up Dr McKay!"

Rodney was shaking in the bed, trying to fight off some unseen force. He was screaming and cursing something named 'Ronon'.

She finally had enough and grabbing a cup of water nearby, splashed it against his face. He woke up finally and stopped screaming, but hyperventilating. He quickly wiped away the water in his eyes and looked around frantically, his fingers in his hair.

"Whoa! Calm down Rod! You were just dreaming… a nightmare I'm guessing."

Rodney panted, and rubbed the back of his head wearily. A lump had formed where he'd been hit and it throbbed painfully. Dr Manning handed him an icepack and a refilled glass of water. He took both thankfully and winced as he pressed the ice to his head.

"I guess I pissed off Autumn's stormtroopers a bit too much… talk about a hair trigger."

She smiled and took the bag out of his hand, she pressed it softly against the lump and tenderly rubbed his head. He suddenly realised that they were completely alone in this place and she was treating him… and he had no pants on. She seemed completely comfortable though and tried to calm him down.

"What were you dreaming? You were thrashing about and yelling about something named Ronon."

Rodney blinked hard, his vision a bit fuzzy. He made sure to keep the blanket over his exposed legs and came up with something at least believable.

"Oh uhh.. he's like my cousin you see… we work together and uhh… sometimes he uhh.. he teases me and uhh… it really gets to me sometimes…"

She gave him an unbelieving look, and nodded pedantically.

"And Jennifer? Is that your… girlfriend?"

He gulped, and tried to sound convincing.

"Actually yes… yes she is."

She again nodded, this time a bit less sarcastically, she seemed to soften.

"You miss her don't you?"

She gave him a sensitive smile, Rodney couldn't help but feel a little better.

"Well… yes… I was going to see her tomorrow or.. I don't even know anymore… how long have I been unconscious?"

She seemed to empathise with him, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well… if you help us get Project Purity up and running, I might be able to see you get released sooner."

She got up and straightened her smock, she bit her lower lip as she turned and opened the door.

Rodney finally got a good look at her without the threat of death by plasma, death by giant lizard monster, or death by horrible terrible radiation in his food. She was just an inch or 2 shorter than him, with a very well maintained body and complexion. Her buxom was significant, but not outrageous. Her smile was honest, and very sincere in its glee. Were she not working on weapons of painful and probably grotesque doom, and so obviously ignorant of the full situation, she'd be quite attractive. Her voice sounded like drops of water in heaven.

"You've only been unconscious for an hour… so try and get some sleep and I'll come and get you in the morning."

Rodney, unsure of what to say, just nodded and put his head down on the pillow with the icepack underneath his head. He wished he had Sheppard with him to help him through this. Or at least to help him explain to Jennifer how he was going to try and seduce some relatively intelligent if somewhat ignorant blonde scientist from a bombed out world in order to escape.

His last thoughts before he managed to dose off were of the cruelty of the universe. Up until now, it had always been Sheppard who had the buxom blonde or brunette beauties bend over to bestow blessing upon his broad shoulders. It was only fitting for Rodney to finally get his chance only when he actually had a stable relationship with a woman he actually loved… With his luck he knew Sheppard was probably involved in some jungle voodoo orgy with that young attractive Captain… what's her name? Varga? Alice?

* * *

A/N: This will be a mostly John and Vega story, and their attempt to survive the wasteland and rescue Rodney. (A mix of action, comedy, and angst awaits them) I've got maybe 2-4 things planned so far and can always add more.

There will be interludes of Rodney as well and his mission to try and escape from the grasp of the smart, buxom, and pretty much clueless Chief of Enclave Science, Dr Dephany Manning. (Some very funny moments planned)

Next chapter is the last exposition chapter, from there it goes… _into the wasteland…_


	5. Secrets of the Brotherhood

**Secrets of the Brotherhood**

* * *

"Please sit here Colonel, You as well Captain."

John and Alicia followed Sentinel Sarah Lyon's directions, and sat down. In front of them were chunks of cooked meat along with some bottles of what looked like soda. John picked at the meat wondering what kind of animal it had come from. Alicia on the other hand examined the bottle and murmured the name to John.

"_Nuka_-cola? Why am I not surprised?"

John snickered and looked around the room. Elder Lyons sat at the front of the room with his Daughter and another older man seated next to him. The other older man was wearing a regal red robe and looked important. To the sides of the room, half a dozen heavily armed soldiers in heavy looking armor sat in unoccupied chairs. A few wore helmets, others didn't. One in particular held a gun at the table pointing to an empty chair next to Alicia. The others seemed to be comfortable though so Vega, while a little nervous, tried not to show it.

Elder Lyons waved for them to eat, and stood as he spoke.

"Feel free to eat, I'm sure you're quite hungry. This meeting is to be deemed classified and not a word of what is said here is to leave… I will introduce our people first."

He motioned to the older man seated next to him. John poked Alicia and nodded towards the food, his thinking was he didn't know when the next time they'd have a chance to eat was and it was better to eat more rather than less in these situations.

"This is our chief of scientific research. Scribe Rothchild. He is the only other one here with any foreknowledge of the topic at hand."

He then motioned to his Daughter.

"My Daughter you already know. Sentinel Sarah Lyons in charge of Lyons Pride. Our premiere assault squad who are sitting across from you."

The soldiers around gave polite nods and salutes to the two Atlanteans.

"I have cleared everyone in this room to hear this classified information, but we will start with introductions. Colonel?"

John put the bottle of Nuka-Cola down, reluctantly as he found the taste surprisingly refreshing, if a little warm. He stood and looked at everyone around.

"Hello, My name is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and this here is Captain Alicia Vega. I'll just come out and say we're not from this planet."

Some in the group scoffed, but seeing that both Elder Lyons and Scribe Rothchild were dead serious, realised that it wasn't a joke. Elder Lyons looked around the room and instantly reined them in.

"I am not entirely sure of their story, but they are telling the truth. We have known about their existence for quite some time. Please continue Colonel."

John cleared his throat and spoke as efficiently as he could.

"Basically, we're from another galaxy. I'm the Military Commander of our expedition that travels between galaxies and planets through a network of devices we call Stargates. It uses a wormhole technology to instantaneously transmit matter from one device to the other."

Despite both Scribe Rothchild and Elder Lyons' assertation that it was true, one of the Lyon's Pride soldiers leaned forward and grumbled, his voice low and to the point.

"Is this for real Elder? How can you be so sure this isn't just some Enclave Trick?"

A voice came from the empty chair next to Vega, a familiar suave voice.

"Stuff it Colvin, Keep to shooting muties instead of shootin' yer mouth."

Showing just how stealthy he could be, Rob suddenly appeared in his black stealth suit, pulling off the mask to show his smiling face. Vega shirked away from him, both amazed and terrified that he could be so close and still remain undetected.

"You Pride are good, but only Gallows caught me sitting here. Guess he really is 'Special Ops.' "

Gallows, the Soldier holding the gun to Rob, made a hardly noticeable growling sound.

"Better luck next time."

Rob chuckled, and leaned back in the chair, he gave Alicia a wink which only made her blush. Elder Lyons cleared his throat and motioned to Sheppard.

"Please forgive Robert… he has the annoying habit of sneaking around wherever he goes. Continue Colonel."

John looked over to Rob, who smirked and chuckled softly. He rolled his eyes and got back to his story.

"Anyways… our expedition uses a city known as Atlantis as our main base of operations in this Galaxy. Atlantis was built by a race of people known as the Ancients or Lanteans. They've long since left this galaxy but the Stargates are still fully functional and we use them to explore."

He heard a pop come from beside him and saw that Rob had popped open a bottle of what looked to be alcohol and was offering it to Vega. She shook her head politely and held her hand out in a negative response. John could taste her tension.

"We dialled the gate to this world, and we received a radio transmission from a man named "Three-Dog". We weren't sure if it was just an automated signal or not so I led my team here to survey the planet. Unlike most worlds in this Galaxy, your Stargate is in orbit and can only be reached by space capable ships."

Most of the people were rapt now, John had explained it to people before and unlike most, these were actually paying attention and for the moment, believing him.

"Three of us came through the gate in our ship. I was in command and Captain Vega was with us for training purposes. Our other crewman was Dr Rodney McKay, our chief of engineering and scientific research. We had surveyed the area around this city when we detected the forcefields at the head of the river. We moved in under stealth mode to investigate, but apparently the Enclave could see us and promptly ordered us to surrender to them."

The Brotherhood paladins nodded, they'd expected as much from the Enclave.

"Before we had much of a chance to respond, they opened fire and managed to down our scout ship. We were incapacitated in the crash, and Rob here told me that he pulled us out. Rob?"

The previously transparent man put his bottle down, and clearing his throat spoke quickly.

"I saw their ship go down when I was scouting out that forcefield. When I got there, there were some scavs picking through the ship. I chased em off and got these two out 'fore the Enclave landed. They hauled that ship outta the ground along with their wide friend. I was gonna take 'em to Rivet City and dump 'em but Talon had other plans. Once they gave me their story I… figured you guys would want first dibs."

John nodded, somewhat agreeing with his assessment.

"What he said. In any case, I'm only here because I don't know enough about the outside to mount an effective rescue. Our people will miss us soon enough and send a rescue team, but from what I can tell they'll have the same luck we did with the Enclave."

John sat down again and sighed, he grabbed the bottle of Nuka-Cola and took another swig.

Elder Lyons got up and waved for attention.

"When we first came here to the Citadel, we discovered many pre-war computers with information that was hidden from the public. Among the secrets within the database, there was an archive with information very similar to what John Sheppard speaks of. The pre-war government knew of the device in orbit, and also of the race known as 'Lanteans'."

The people inside the room became deathly quiet. Scribe Rothchild got up and nodded to Lyons.

"They were afraid of being attacked through it as they did not understand how it worked. Efforts were made to study the device, but nothing fruitful was ever achieved. Artefacts were found in different parts of the world that gave suspicion of extraterrestrial visitors. All evidence was suppressed and only the highest echelons of government knew of it. And unfortunately for us… the Enclave is what is left of that Echelon."

John leaned forward, confused.

"Wait… so the Enclave is what's left of the government?"

Sarah Lyons got up, seemingly offended.

"They are what remains of the corrupt government that was responsible for creating the wasteland you see before you. They have no conscious or reservations about killing everything that doesn't bow down to them."

Elder Lyons put his palm to her, trying to calm her.

"Patience young one, our guests are completely new to this place and know nothing of our ways… And to answer your question. Yes. They are what is left of the government. Their leader is a man calling himself President John Henry Eden with his military adviser, Colonel Augustus Autumn."

Vega nodded, and spoke for the first time.

"We've heard of him, it was under his orders that our ship was ordered to surrender."

John nodded, and finished his point.

"I don't leave men behind, so if there's any chance of rescuing Dr McKay I'm going to take it. From what we've seen so far I don't see why we can't come to some kind of mutually beneficial agreement."

Scribe Rothchild sat back down, and inputted some commands into his console. A map came up showing the entire capital wasteland on a projector at the head of the table.

"This is a map of all possible locations we've compiled for where the Enclave could be based."

Several markers popped up on the map, mostly in the far northern regions away from any built up area. Elder Lyons moved from his seat and stood in front of the map.

"We do not have the manpower to explore all these places, and of the few scouts we do send out, even less return each day."

He turned to John.

"So you'll have to forgive me, I simply cannot spare any more manpower to search for something that may or may not be there, no matter how beneficial it may be. With the Super Mutants to the east, the Raiders and Slavers to the north, and now the Enclave dropping troops all over, our resources are stretched so thin I worry for the safety of this base. I am not a fool however and will help you to what limit I can."

He looked to the Lyon's Pride and his Daughter in particular.

"Should word come to us of the Enclave's base of operations, I will authorise a pre-emptive strike with the goals of destabilising their military, and rescuing Dr McKay before they can coerce advanced technology from him. Furthermore, I am authorising that both Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard, and Captain Vega be equipped with a basic Brotherhood initiate gear. You will be in charge of training them with the proper use Sentinel."

Sarah Lyons obviously didn't like the request, but after a moment's hesitation, stood and saluted.

"I will do as you order Father."

Elder Lyons sighed heavily, and addressed them all in a sombre tone.

"For 20 years have we stemmed the tide in the war with the Super Mutants… many lives have we lost in protecting the people of this Capital wasteland… now a new war looms over us, one which I fear we stand little chance of winning."

He looked to John, Vega, and Rob.

"And now, even as a new war begins an even greater threat emerges… Correct me if I'm wrong Colonel, but if your Dr. McKay were to freely give the Enclave his knowledge, they would clearly dominate this entire planet correct?"

John sighed, and Vega realised the implications as well.

"Without a doubt Elder."

"Then I must make the decision, and I choose to either take the wasteland back from them, or die honourably in trying."

The entire group of Brotherhood soldiers stood up straight in their chairs, each saluting their leader. John and Vega exchanged worried glances as they questioned what they were getting into. Rob was the only odd factor out, putting his 2 cents in.

"So that's it? a change of clothes, ammo and a stimpack or two? Figures."

Elder Lyons looked to Rob with a look of surprise.

"Would you have me sacrifice the safety of this entire area?"

Rob stood, and shook his head.

"You've been sitting on this information for almost 20 years… and now that pretty much every fucking thing has gone wrong… all you can do is give them a change of clothes and some _fucking_ ammo?!"

Sarah Lyons got up and gave her most menacing look.

"Know your place _wastelander, _I don't care what you've been through but you _will_ treat the Elder with respect."

Rob gave Sarah the same menacing stare.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. It's a valid question."

Sarah flexed her arms and the suit of power armor whined in unison. Before a very one-sided fist fight broke out though, Elder Lyons stood between the bisected table and held his hands to each party.

"Enough! I will not have our great hall desecrated by violence!"

He waited until they both calmed down, and each took their respective seats.

During the argument, John and Vega had looked at each other and noted the exits or any available cover. Vega tried to make it as nonchalant as possible and moved her chair a bit closer to John and away from Rob.

Elder Lyons took a moment to relax, and then faced Rob.

"You speak angrily, but truthfully what help could you offer? I believe you are better tasked with finding a GECK for Dr Li and Project Purity than aiding these two."

Rob sighed, and looked away from the Elder's piercing gaze.

"I… I don't know… I'm just pissed off okay? I'll be in the courtyard…"

He got up again and pushed past the door. It closed behind him as he stomped off angrily.

John watched him leave, and as he turned back to the others he saw Sarah Lyons finish a sigh of dejectedness. John could sweat he saw something beyond platonic sentiment, but kept quiet. He looked up to Elder Lyons and asked.

"What's with him? He's _never_ been like that."

Elder Lyons furrowed his brow, and realising that John and Vega didn't know, sighed regretfully.

"He's been through much recently. His story is long and tragic… his father was recently killed in the initial Enclave incursion… but I will let him speak of it… and… I will also authorise a single specialization equipment release for each of you."

Sarah stood again, this time not willing to just back down.

"Father!"

Elder Lyons turned and faced her down. Despite his age, he exuded a defiance and fire in his posture that Sentinel Lyons backed down a bit.

"Rob was right… and I will not fade into the night without the knowledge that I did all I could to keep the day."

He turned back to Sheppard and Vega.

"I would ask you stay a few days. The wasteland is a very unforgiving place and there is no reprieve for inadequate preparation."

John considered it.

"In all likelihood, our people will arrive in a day or 2, with reinforcements we may be able to offer you more help than you could offer us. In the meantime… yes. We will glad to stay and assist in anyway we can."

Vega gave Sheppard a sidelong glance, and resigned herself to sticking around. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad, as long as the guys didn't hit on her at every corner.

* * *

"Wormhole established, we've got a good connection."

Sam nodded to Amelia and pressed the radio button on the control panel. Major Lorne stood by her side leaning against the console.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Atlantis calling, please come in."

She waited as nothing but static came through.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Colonel Carter, do you require any assistance?"

She motioned to Chuck and nodded.

"Full spectrum, lets see if anybody's listening."

Chuck nodded in agreement and changed the frequency of the radio signal.

"This is Colonel Samantha Carter to anyone listening. Please respond."

A few moments passed and a badly distorted signal came through. Sam waved to Chuck and asked him see if he could clear it up. A few moments later she sent her greeting again, and now a clearer signal came through.

'This is Enclave Radio Frequency 112, President John Henry Eden speaking. How may I assist you Colonel Samantha Carter?"

Most of the people in the control room did minor double takes, the friendly nature of the voice was just slightly disturbing. Sam shrugged and opened the channel.

"Greetings President… I'm not exactly sure how to start…"

The voice on the other end replied quick and very efficiently.

"Perhaps with an explanation for how you have managed to infiltrate our secured radio frequencies?"

"We mean no harm Mr President, we're simply trying to reach a group of our people who we sent to make contact with your world."

"My world? Ah, you must be the Lanteans with whom Dr Meredith Rodney McKay is affiliated with. How may I ask did you reach our world?"

Sam suddenly shut the channel off and looked beside her to Lorne. A few of the control room staff snickered at the mention of Rodney's given name, not understanding the implication.

"Lanteans? _Meredith?_ McKay would _never_ tell anybody about that without approval from us… get a team ready."

Lorne nodded, and suddenly went alert.

"Agreed, lets play along and figure out what's going on."

Sam bit her lower lip, and then opened the channel again. Lorne turned away and ordered his team to the Jumper Bay for immediate action.

"So Dr McKay is with you?"

"Yes he is, He has been quite the appreciable guest and has come to no harm. How may I ask did you reach our world?"

"Through the Stargate, in orbit of your planet."

"Stargate? Do you mean the Ancient Lantean technological ring?"

"You could call it that. Are Colonel Sheppard and Captain Vega with you as well?"

A moment's hesitation, the first in the entire conversation, then the cheerful demeanored voice again.

"Unfortunately no, we did not find them with Dr McKay."

"Excuse me, but how exactly did Dr McKay come to be your guest?"

"He was rescued from what I assume to be your scout ship, it had crashed in the Capital Wasteland and my men were sent in to investigate. He was the only one we found."

Sam got worried, President Eden sounded very strange in his ultra calm and reassureing voice. The fact that he knew of Rodney, but not John or Alicia meant something had gone very wrong.

"Well, if you have no objection, I would like to send a team to search for my people. Perhaps we could even meet and discuss whatever questions you may have."

She hoped that he'd agree, but deep down she trusted her instinct and it told her that things were about to go very wrong.

"I'm sorry Colonel Carter. Under normal circumstances I would be more than happy to accept you as my guests, but there is currently a 40 megaton nuclear ICBM heading towards the ring in orbit, so I expect this transmission to end in no more than 42 seconds."

"What!?"

"Dr McKay is currently helping the Enclave with many of our scientific projects. To allow him to leave would delay our new schedule by unacceptable amounts of time. Should we meet under different circumstances, know that I mean no ill will against any of your people. Have a good day Colonel Carter."

The transmission ended, and Carter quickly looked to Lorne.

"Tell me you have a Jumper ready."

Lorne just shook his head, in a dazed confusion.

"Not even close…"

She felt her facial muscles tense, time was running out.

"What about UAV's? Drones? Anything that can take that nuke out before it hits!"

Lorne shook his head again.

"Nothing sir, we just don't have the time!"

Sam checked the clock on the computer, only 20 seconds left. Decision time.

"Shut the gate down! We can't risk radiation exposure or a gate malfunction."

Amelia quickly tapped the necessary controls and the gate shut off, the blue event horizon fading into nothing.

Despite not having any tangible connection to the planet, Sam could feel in her gut the detonation of the nuclear device when the countdown hit 0. She waited a few moments in silence, and then motioned to Amelia.

"Dial the planet… if there has been a nuclear detonation then you should get some higher than normal power readings. Keep the shield up."

She waited and watched with a calm, but very hesitant demeanour, she looked to Lorne and quietly asked.

"When is the next time Daedalus is expected back?"

He shook his head, his face having gone pale.

"5 weeks… they should be 3/4s of the way back to Earth, so… a week or so to get to earth, a five day layover, and another three and a half weeks to get back."

She smacked her lips, suddenly very dry.

"Is the planet within Jumper range from another planet?"

Lorne checked the galactic map and after a few moments of scanning with his eyes, shook his head.

"Daedalus would get there sooner. We're completely cut off from the planet if we can't dial in."

Sam didn't swear very often, but seeing that that power spike she'd feared was already appearing on their scanners, cursed quietly under her breath.

"_Fuck."_

* * *

A/N: I'm having criminal amounts of fun writing this. The exposition is pretty much over now and it moves out into the wasteland next chapter. Rodney will still be around, but mostly in comedic moments. Sincere thanks to all readers!


	6. First Encounter

**First Encounter**

---------------------------------

"You think there's any chance I can ascend?"

The question took John by surprise, he turned to face Vega as they walked back to their quarters.

"Excuse me?"

She rubbed her neck and winced harshly.

"Has to be better than this. I feel like one giant knot."

He chuckled, and doubled over himself as his muscles responded in pain.

"Don't think we'll have the chance, but you're right… it is."

They'd been busy for the past 2 days, constantly either in briefings with Brotherhood scribes, or in weapons and combat training sessions with Lyon's Pride. They were finally finished for the day and were gladly looking forward to the stiff bunks the Citadel quarters offered.

The Brotherhood training had been mostly superfluous to them, and they had actually taught the Lyon's Pride several things about tactics and combat styles. The only real thing that served useful purpose was a crash course on the types of weapons prevalent in the wasteland, the use of their advanced medical technology, and how to properly use Power Armor.

Vega reached out to open the door knob and flinched as pain shot up her neck, she resisted crying out in pain and bit her lower lip.

John noticed and moved forward to open the door, Sarah Lyons had been particularly hard on her in combat training and he knew she was in much worse condition than him. He fought the urge to give her a hand, and instead opened the door for her.

"I'd say ladies first, but I get the feeling you'd probably slap me."

She smirked, though the pain was evident in her smile. She murmured softly.

"I'll kick your ass later Sir… for now… sleep."

In any other circumstance, he'd have reprimanded her on the spot for insubordination. But having spent two days in a completely alien environment alone had taught them that the only people they could really trust were each other, and if they were going to make it through this, ceremony was the last thing they needed to keep between each other. He smiled and gently patted her on the shoulder as she entered.

"Looking forward to it."

She giggled softly as she moved to her side of the room, and reached up to unhook her now lightly worn Brotherhood Combat Armor. Another stab of pain shot through her back and she couldn't resist crying out.

John couldn't take it anymore, Vega had been holding it in ever since the crash and out of respect, and also his own action of enduring the pain, hadn't mentioned it to her. But she was now clearly in serious pain and it was affecting even small motions. He stepped in behind her and muttered quietly.

"Ally… enough with the tough chick attitude, you're obviously in a lot of pain."

She groaned, both in frustration and pain. His new nickname for her was beyond annoying, but she hadn't worked up the courage to tell him.

"Yeah… I just need some sleep."

John knew what she was thinking, and in her shoes he'd probably do the same. But they were going to be leaving the Citadel the next day and he needed to make sure she wasn't going to be a liability. She turned around as she sat on the bunk and let herself fall sideways onto it. John knelt and looked her right in the face.

"You're telling me a little sleep is gonna help with the freakin' agony you're in now? You want me to call Sawbones down here?"

She spun around and faced the wall, groaning softly. She emphatically voiced her opinion.

"Oh god no… _please sir_, don't let that psycho robot anywhere near me. _Please_…"

He chuckled a bit and made sure the door was locked.

"Ally… sit up."

She scrunched up and pulled the blanket over her head.

"Why?"

John reached out and pulled the blanket back down, she rolled onto her back and turned her head to look at him with muted anger. He spoke as if it were an order.

"Because I'm either gonna drag you outta this bed and carry you over to Sawbones, _and then_ hold you down while he checks you out. Or… you're gonna let me help you without anyone outside knowing. Your choice."

She winced again, this time in frustration. She sighed deeply and sat up.

"I'm still gonna kick you ass later… sir."

He chuckled and helped her take the Brotherhood Combat Armor off, she slid out from under the straps and sighed contentedly.

"Oh I've been waiting to take that off all day…"

John smirked and put his hands on the back of her neck, she winced slightly and bit her lower lip.

"Owww."

"Would you prefer Sawbones do this?"

She reached up and put her hand on top of his.

"No! Please… I do _not_ want to know what it's like to get a massage by a thing with… _tentacles._"

John let out a laugh and groaned as his chest complained. He started to knead her surprisingly tense muscles and empathised with her pained moans. He cleared his throat and tried to calm her down.

------------------------------------

"Uhh… ok… I thought you said you weren't a medical doctor."

Dr Manning snickered and continued to rub his shoulders.

"Well… it always helps me think clearer when I'm relaxed, and that bump on your head doesn't look like it's getting much better. You want some more Med-X?"

"No! No no no… never do drugs… last time I did drugs I stayed up all night and had the inexplicable urge to eat a whole loaf of bread."

Rodney was sitting in Dr Manning's lab, going over the plans for Project Purity. It was mostly different types of purification systems including carbon and UV filters, but main cleaning agent was an unstable anti-radiation chemical that was easily contaminated prior to use. It was feasible in small scale, but to clean the entire river was a bit extreme.

Dr Manning had helped where she could, mostly in explaining Enclave technology and escorting him around the base. He hadn't seen the sun in two days, and had heard nothing of either Sheppard or Vega. He'd tried to be at least friendly and she had obviously grown more than just a scientific interest in him. Rodney had begun to wonder if everybody on the planet appreciated genius as much as she did. She murmured and tightened her grip.

"Relax Rod, you've been doing really well so far and Colonel Autumn has been pleased with your progress so far, he's especially pleased with the advances to our plasma technology you've been able to implement."

Rodney sighed, and tried to sound as convincing as he could.

"Well like I've been telling you, a lot of your technology just needs to be streamlined. I'm sure your scientists can handle it from the sample I gave them."

The truth was he actually just made a minor improvement, he still wasn't sure what kind of people these Enclave were, and didn't want to give them too much technology. He'd learned from Star Trek that changing or advancing civilizations that weren't ready usually led to catastrophe. In some ways, it was utterly miraculous that the Stargate Program hadn't caused the destruction of Earth. In fact, it had in several other realities he'd been told about.

But if Dr Manning was being truthful about the dangers of the wasteland and their plans to clean both the water and food supplies that were still out there, maybe he should consider some kind of mutually beneficial agreement with them. He'd certainly need Sam's and the IOA's approval, but it seemed he'd have quite a while to figure them out. Dr Manning finally let go of him and looked over his shoulder.

"We were actually thinking of changing those computer systems with newer ones we've developed. Do you think it would be worth the effort?"

Rodney furrowed his brow, and tried not to think about the boobs pressing against his shoulder.

"Uhh… no… I uhh… I don't think it'd make any appreciable difference… How long have you guys actually been working on this?"

She pulled away, and straightened her smock.

"Oh for a long time, some 20 odd years."

He turned in the swivelling chair and gave her a curious look.

"20 years?! You probably could have purified most of the river with the purifiers you already have!"

She changed tact, her face becoming a bit condescending.

"Rod… you're being difficult. This system can clean the entire river all in one go, we just don't have the resources to do it the slow way. This is the last chance we have and we can't risk it not working."

Rodney knew better than to argue, and turned back to her desk, he'd been trying to act as close to Sheppard as he could to try and survive this environment in the best shape possible. Though he didn't know what he'd do if he actually did succeed, so he concentrated on the moment at hand.

"Alright alright… uhh… maybe I should you know… relax a little more? I mean… if it works for you then maybe it'll work for me."

Even though he couldn't see her, he felt her soft hands come down on his shoulders again and start kneading his stressed muscles. All he could do was imagine that it was really Jennifer and press forward. He only hoped that he could avoid her advances when it came time for bed.

---------------------------------------

"Uhhh…Colonel?"

She made it sound as embarrassing and teasing as possible. He'd most likely enjoyed giving her a rough massage and deserved a little teasing. She felt sooo much better after getting worked over and now she was lying back on his shoulder when she felt something poke her side. He caught on instantly and shifted uncomfortably.

"Uhh.. It's my sidearm… _I_ _swear."_

She giggled and let her head rest on his shoulder, he made such a much better pillow than the flat and stuffy pillow on the bunk, and she knew he enjoyed having her so close to him.

"I'm sure it is."

She squirmed a bit and blinked hard. It was so strange to be napping on her commanding officer's shoulder. But the last two days were so strange and informal that this didn't seem like that far a stretch. In such an unknown environment, she liked having someone she could trust implicitly. She yawned and felt Sheppard shifting uncomfortably under her. She felt oddly satisfied that he was… well… whatever feeling he was feeling.

"Colonel… I know this isn't exactly protocol… but Rob told me something before he left."

Sheppard finally found a position in which all parts of him were either safely tucked or pointing away from the rather attractive brunette sitting beside him. He thought about Rob and how they'd been so fortunate to have him be their rescuer.

"What'd I tell you Ally? Call me either John, or Sheppard. Come up with a nickname if you have to, but _stop_ calling me _Sir_ or _Colonel… _we'll have everybody and their mother's chasing us."

She didn't feel too comfortable to give him a nickname yet, and still felt a little weird calling him by his given names.

"Alright… Sheppard… well… it was when we were on the shooting range… Rob was acting kinda funny with me and well… I confronted him. You know, try and get him to chill his advances?"

John nodded.

"Don't I know it."

She huffed once in amusement, then continued.

"I bet. In any case, he was staring at me and I got up in his smug face about it. He kinda stayed quiet and said I reminded him of someone he knew, someone named Amata. I guess she must have been kinda special to him. He had a picture of her and well, she does kinda look like me"

John furrowed his brow in curiosity.

"Ok… that's the creepiest pickup line I've heard in awhile."

She resisted giving him a light smack, and only smirked.

"Tell me about it… well he said something that creeped me out even more… he said if I was going out in the wasteland I… I shouldn't sleep alone. He said I'd attract a lot of attention because…"

She stopped mid-sentence, a bit scared. John understood.

"Because you're… attractive… And the people out there are scum."

He took a few deep breaths and could feel her tense up again. The idea was reprehensible.

"Yeah… he said that when he saw how clueless we were about this place, it reminded him of how he was when he first came out here from the vault. And how he wouldn't want what he knew to happen to her."

They were quiet for a few moments, John thinking of what to say.

"You know… I'm only offering because I know you're gonna say no…"

She reacted instantly.

"I'm not staying here."

She turned and looked at him squarely, their faces mere inches apart. John felt a little intimidated, but kept his calm.

"Like I said… I knew you're gonna say no, but if this world is really that bad, well… I _could_ order you to stay."

She pushed off his shoulder and sat on the opposite side, her white socked feet tapping back and forth as she thought.

"I'm not a coward sir. I know the risks… You said so yourself, we don't leave people

behind."

Secretly he loved that she said it, he hadn't really known her that well before this mission apart from her CSV. It detailed her military record in Iraq, said she was an excellent shot, very agile in combat, a potential leader and very charismatic, although he realised that a lot of that came from her great looks. He didn't really know that much about Alicia Vega the person though.

"Yeah… I did… go to sleep Ally, we leave first thing tomorrow."

He was about to get up when she held him down but his foot. He furrowed his brow to her and she made a slightly embarrassed face.

"Yeah well… I think he might be right… sooo… if you don't mind? Just so I can… you know… get used to it?"

He dropped his jaw just a little. She was asking him to sleep with her, well… actually sleep. It wasn't often he got asked this specifically.

"Uhhh.. if you're sure…"

She pursed her lips and hesitated. Finally she replied.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

-------------------------------------

"Good Luck Colonel, Captain. I have sent word ahead to our outposts that you are friends of the Brotherhood. I sincerely hope you succeed in your mission, for all our sakes."

Elder Lyons and Sarah Lyons had come to see them off. John stood tall in his shiny Brotherhood Combat Armor, with Alicia next to him in her own suit. He saluted smartly and spoke with conviction.

"I'll get him back. You count on it. And don't think I'm going to forget your help Elder. Expect us to return the favour."

He nodded, and a look of hope entered his face.

"I have no doubt you will try. But I send you off with the knowledge that I gave you as much help as I could. Whatever happens, I am glad."

He nodded his head, saluted them both and turned. John could see he didn't want to see him and Vega leave, preferring his last memory of them to be inside the Citadel. Sarah Lyons on the other hand gave them a respectful nod, having been impressed with their skills in training.

"I know what's going to happen, you're gonna find your friend and you're gonna kill the Enclave bastards who took him. I gotta admit, I'm glad I met you people. It gives me hope I didn't know I still had."

She pulled something that looked like a thick book out of her storage space in her armor. She handed it to John who took it and read the title.

"The Wasteland Survival Guide? By Moira Brown? Uhh… Ok…I have so many questions I don't know where to start."

Sarah smirked and shrugged.

"To be honest, I haven't read it. But Rob gave it to me to give to you before he left. He said it was his personal copy and that it would be better off in your hands than his."

John skimmed through it, and figured it was worth a bed time read at least. He nodded in thanks to Sarah. She in turn saluted them by crossing an arm across her chest. Both John and Alicia returned it.

"Steel be with you John Sheppard, Alicia Vega."

With that, Sarah Lyons turned and left them as well. The guard at the front door nodded to them and spoke over his suit's loudspeaker.

"You're always welcome to come back, at least that's what the Elder says. Stay safe out there and watch out for Guai."

John nodded and thanked the man as he walked by, he followed the path down to the edge of the river and decided to take another inventory of what they were carrying.

He had chosen to go with an energy weapon specialization package. So other than the Combat Armor, he had a refurbished AER9 Laser Rifle and modified AER7 Laser Pistol with "Smuggler's End" inscribed on the side. As a last resort, he also had a standard Combat Knife and a pair of brass knuckles. Added to a First Aid Kit along with several frag grenades and he was quite well armed.

Vega had gone with her instinct, and went with a Sniper kit. She cradled the heavy .308 sniper rifle with ease, its large scope giving her clear view for hundreds of meters. A silenced 10mm pistol, a rather strange calibre for the two Earth born soldiers, rounded out her range capacity. Another combat knife and that was the limit of her aggressive equipment. She stayed very light, with only a first aid kit as far as support.

Both also had an interesting apparatus attached to their arms; Personal Information Processors or more colloquially known as Pipboys. They were by far the strangest parallel to earth technology the pair had seen so far. Upon putting on the machines, biometric sensors pressed against their skin and began to monitor their life signs. When John had tried to remove the thing before it was done scanning, the little guy in the vault suit on screen had "Tsk tsk"ed him and given him the finger. Unsure of what to do in that circumstance, John had simply given him the finger back.

Alicia was a bit more careful with hers, which she lovingly called her Pipgirl. It served as a map, a hand held computer, a Geiger counter, and even a radio for the few signals left in the wasteland. It could play both video and audio as well as recording them. It was by far the most versatile equipment they'd come across.

Rob had done them the favour and downloaded his detailed maps of the area from his Pipboy into theirs. So with that information, John now decided where they should head first.

"What do say we check out the big settlements? See if we can find anybody who knows about where the Enclave might be coming from?"

"Say the word Sir."

He looked at the map and saw that the nearest settlement was Rivet City, as good a place as any to begin.

"Rivet City… sounds industrial…"

--------------------------------------

"Holy _shit_, take cover!"

John scurried behind cover; he could _not_ believe what he was seeing. He clicked the squad radio the Pipboy offered and whispered to Vega.

"_Jesus_ did you see that thing? It was _huge_!"

He pressed his back to the concrete pillar in the passageway; they'd taken the only safe route to Rivet City as far as Rob knew and were only a few hundred meters away, the beached Aircraft carrier clearly visible.

"Yeah Colonel… I guess that's a super mutant."

The monstrosity had lumbered into view about 40 meters away, even at that range, he still looked very imposing. He seemed to be carrying a rifle of some kind.

"Alright Ally, see if you can climb into that window a few meters behind you, get a good vantage and pick him off if you can, I'll cover you down here."

He got an acknowledging click, and saw her scurry off from her position behind a boulder. She kept low and was actually pretty hard to see as she slinked through the shattered wall of the building. John waited, peeking out and keeping an eye on the beast he saw ahead.

Big was an understatement, it was easily 8 feet tall and had legs like tree trunks. Its arms looked like they could crush him like a beer can. Whatever happened, he did _not _want to engage it in close combat. He wished he could just go back to fighting the Wraith instead of trying to survive on this crazy planet.

"In position, I've got a good shot… should I take it?"

John silently crouched, and shouldered his laser rifle. The brotherhood had told him all about Super Mutants and how they attacked everything and anything without reason. It was getting dark and going around them would take them longer than he wanted to get to Rivet City. He took a breath in and clicked his radio.

"Take the shot."

The crack of her rifle dwarfed all other sounds, the shattered husks of once tall buildings served as reflectors and amplified the sound as it spread out. A moment later, John swung out, ready to fire if needed. What he saw astonished him. Vega's overwhelmed voice brought him back to reality.

"_Madre de Dios_… _**He's still standing**__!_"

The large bipedal humanoid was staggering about, one hand holding its head and the other lazily aiming its rifle. It was wallowing in pain but seemed to just shake it off. A good portion of its skin had been torn off but its skull had somehow withstood the heavy .308 round and deflected the bullet.

"Arrgh! Head hurts!"

"_The hell?! That woulda popped anyone else's head like a balloon!!"_

John's pushed his thoughts aside and raised his rifle, he squeezed the trigger and a red beam shot out, instantaneously hitting the monster in the shoulder causing a serious burn.

"Keep firing Captain!"

John kept it up as well, squeezing the trigger as fast as the capacitors would recharge, the beast seemed to get accustomed to the incoming fire and screamed in fury, it raised its rifle and fired a spray in John's general direction. He felt the spray of concrete dust, chopped dirt, and even the air pass by him as the bullets landed near him.

Another crack and the monster's left leg suddenly gave out underneath him. He still remained standing though and continually screamed.

John fired the last three shots in his clip and ejected the spent micro fusion cells; he quickly slammed in a new one and locked the receiver. He gulped in sudden fear as another 2 of the huge beasts appeared from around the corner and bellowed in rage.

"Arrgh! Death!!"

He forgot about charging in, and took cover; he felt another breeze in the air as Vega fired her rifle again, this time finally shattering the head off the first super mutant. It fell unceremoniously to the ground, still shaking in rage.

One of the two mutants left, one was wearing some kind of armor, and instead of a rifle, carried a large weapon with a drum on his back. John instantly recognized the flamethrower from the pilot light at the front and nearly panicked. He clicked his radio and spat out orders.

"Ally! Aim for the big one's gun! It's a flamethrower!"

He took careful aim, and managed to hit the bigger mutant in the face with his laser rifle, it stopped dead in its tracks and howled in blinded pain. A sudden spark flew up from his weapon as the 308 calibre bullet from Vega's rifle put a nasty dent into it.

The remaining super mutant raised its rifle and sprayed much more accurate suppression fire in John's direction. Its voice was terrifying as were its words.

"Die already!! I'm hungry!!"

John resisted puking instantly, and leaned out from the side of his cover behind a slab of fallen concrete to keep firing back. He aimed for the smaller mutant this time, and from the uncomfortable position, aimed for its center of mass. He fired time and time again, not even slowing the monster as it closed on him. He could see the searing wounds it created on the mutant as it neared, but even as it growled in pain, it simply shrugged off the attacks.

The larger of the two mutants finally went down; or rather up in flames as Vega scored a critical hit on the flamethrower's fuel supply, igniting it with the spark of metal on metal impact. The super mutant howled as it span about, trying to find some way to extinguish the flames. It finally tripped over a bench and remained squirming on the ground as it burned up.

The smaller yet still massive super mutant now closed in on John, discarding his assault rifle and instead pulling large piece of wood off the ground. John backpedalled and emptied the clip from his laser rifle point blank, but the mutant still came at him with a blood lust that made John's blood freeze.

He didn't feel it as bad as he thought he would, the Brotherhood Combat armor doing a great job of keeping him intact. He did however feel the sudden loss of gravity as the Mutant unceremoniously slammed the nail board against his chest like a bat and a baseball. He was lifted into the air and flew almost 5 feet back before tumbling to the ground. In the mess, he dropped his rifle and heard it clatter as it bounced down the slope near the river.

"I'm going to eat your arm!"

John liked his arm where it was, securely attached to his shoulder. So he pulled out the laser pistol from its clasp on his belt and aimed for the mutant's head. This weapon fired a little differently than the rifle, instead of a single instant burst, it fired a second long stream that cut into its target. John could see the flesh separate on the Mutants face as he raised the giant nail board again. It winced in pain and then reached the apex of his swing.

_**CRACK**_

The mutant froze, its arms shaking and face shocked. John didn't hesitate and rolled to his feet, he aimed for the face again and fired, laser blasts cutting deep gouges into the mutant's thick skin. It made an unearthly howl and staggered forward towards him. John jumped back and fired one final shot, cleanly decapitating the mutant who then fell to the floor in a splattered mess, the back of his head missing from Vega's accurate sniping.

John moved closer tentatively, and once sure it was dead, kicked the broken head of the mutant like a soccer ball. It rolled around on the ground splashing gore along the walls until it eased into the water, food for the Mirelurks.

John heard something come closer, and seeing Vega nearing him, holstered his pistol. She had a slightly worried look on her face.

"You ok sir?"

John scratched the big dent in his armor where the nail had tried to penetrate, he'd have to replace it if he got the chance but otherwise he was fine.

"Just a little… I dunno. God I miss the Wraith."

---------------------------------


	7. Nothing's Free

**Nothing's Free**

* * *

"Uhh, sorry… don't have any."

Vega shirked away from the man sitting on the deck, pleading for clean purified water.

"Please… I'm dying."

"I'm sorry… I don't have any."

Alicia's hand hovered over her pistol, ready to fire if needed. The 10mm pistol was a lot bigger than her old Berretta but without any way of replenishing ammo, she'd left it along with the rest of their Earth Gear back at the Citadel so they could study it.

The unreality of the situation was beginning to get to Alicia, the wasteland was aptly named, and almost nothing useful remained out there. And even now as Colonel Sheppard negotiated to enter the city, Alicia felt her heart strings being tugged. She did have water, but the Brotherhood had told her to keep it no matter what as most water in the area was radiated. Alicia felt bad for the man begging her for help, but didn't want to end up like him.

"I'll die! Please, help me!"

"I said I don't have any…"

Alicia resisted getting angry, and moved over to where Sheppard was on the intercom. A voice on the other end muttered angrily.

"So you're looking for someone? How about you tell me who it is and I'll tell you if they're here?"

"I'm pretty sure he isn't actually _here_, but someone on this ship might know where I can find him."

John was getting frustrated, the man named Harkness on the other end was being difficult and didn't want to let them in.

"Hmm… so basically you're telling me that you're coming to interrogate the people here? Why should I let you on-board?"

John bit his lip and met Alicia's eyes, he sighed and muttered quietly.

"We don't wanna cause any trouble. We just need to ask a few questions, maybe trade for some better gear…"

"So you're traders now? Not rescuers?"

John rubbed his face frustratingly. This was getting very annoying. Alicia decided to put her input in and spoke up.

"We just want to find our friend, and have a safe place to stay tonight. We've got things we can trade in exchange. Please, we mean you no harm."

John held his breath, perhaps Harkness had a weakness for the ladies.

"Hmm… where did you guys say you came from?"

John nodded to Alicia and she quickly explained.

"We just came from the Citadel, a few kilometres upriver."

Almost instantly, the large bridge suspended by the crane began to move.

"Well why didn't you just say so? Brotherhood is always welcome here."

John smirked and patted Alicia on the shoulder, he shut the intercom off and chuckled.

"I think you're gonna come in handy Ally."

She cringed at the nickname John had given her. The bridge finally locked in place and they stepped out and towards the ship.

"Umm.. I know you said to keep ceremony to a minimum sir, but could you please not call me Ally?"

John felt kinda bad, and nodded.

"Alright, so what do you want me to call you?"

She sighed and peered over the edge of the bridge, they'd likely survive a fall, but from what she'd learned in the Citadel, and the constant ticking of her Pipgirl, it was heavily irradiated.

"Anything but Ally… reminds me of Al Bundy… and not in a good way."

John cracked and struggled to keep his laugh quiet. He took a few deep breaths and finally was able to speak.

"Al _Bundy_? As in Married with Children!?"

She shrugged.

"I grew up watching it… the other kids called me _Ally_ _Bundy_. I hated that name."

He made an empathetic 'aw' and chuckled softly. They were approaching the deck and he figured he'd continue it later. The man named Harkness stood at the door with another 2 guards behind him, all heavily armed.

"Lemme make one thing clear to you, Brotherhood or not, I don't allow any violence inside this place. If you so much as breath on someone wrong, I'll toss you into the water and feed you to the lurks."

John nodded and kept his weapons holstered.

"That won't be a problem, but I could use some directions."

Harkness shook his head and motioned for the guards to let them through.

"Just follow the signs. Keep your weapons holstered and we shouldn't have a problem."

John kept nodding and opened the door to the interior, once out of earshot of the guards, he looked to Alicia.

"Alright, well since we're on the subject anyway, I don't think we should use our proper names anyway… the Enclave might have gotten our names from Rodney and I'd rather not leave bread crumbs."

She shrugged in agreement.

"Good idea, well… Leesha, should be different enough."

He nodded and tried it out.

"Leesha… Leesh, Leesa… Leese… Leese! That sounds nice. Leese."

She giggled and shrugged.

"Yeah it's good, so what do I call you?"

They had moved off to the side, letting someone wearing a giant ball shaped helmet pass by. John motioned it out and made a confused face. She smirked at him and giggled.

"Well I was thinking, you said I should give you a nickname, sooo... Sheppard, German Sheppard, Dog, Puppy…"

He opened his eyes wide,

"You're not calling me puppy."

She giggled and shook her head.

"While that would be cute, I was actually thinking of my old dog when I was a kid, Ricky. He kinda had the same hairstyle you have."

With his eyes still wide, John's eyebrows now raised. He ran five fingers through his hair embarrassedly.

"Ricky? Well… it's… different… how about Rick?"

She nodded and motioned towards the stairway.

"That's good… Rick."

"You too… Leese."

* * *

"So tell me Rod, what's it like in Atlantis?"

He shrugged and stuffed his face full of the meat sandwich he'd taken. Dr Manning had been surprisingly nice and managed to get Colonel Autumn to forgo with the constant guard. Rodney had given up on a quick rescue and now diverted all his effort to working on Project Purity instead of weapons research. For the moment, it had served him well.

"Well, it's… different. Think of a floating island, with an entire city on top of it, a giant tower dominates the center and is surrounded by other smaller spires…"

She was rapt in attention, her eyes wide and glossed over.

"It sounds beautiful… I'd love to see it one day."

He shrugged, and downed the Enclave equivalent of coffee.

"Well if I live long enough, and our people don't end up going to war, then maybe…"

Rodney was trying to be witty, He'd seen Sheppard do it a million times, seemingly talk down to a girl and they'd lap it up and give him even more attention.

It had the opposite effect though, as Dr Manning suddenly became very standoffish.

"Don't talk like that Dr McKay; Autumn was just defending us from an unknown ship. If a ship suddenly appeared over _your_ city and bypassed every defence you had, wouldn't you feel threatened?"

Rodney felt the offence he'd caused, and he did actually know what it was like. The lost tribe of Asgard had done the very same and even went further. He drooped his shoulders and tried to sound apologetic.

"uh well… I guess if you put it that way… I just miss my friends…"

"We're looking for them Rodney."

He dropped the fork… again.

"What? You're looking for them? Why wasn't I told?"

She made a motion for him to keep quiet.

"Shh! Keep it down… do you promise not to talk to anyone else about this?"

She became soft again, shyly looking around to notice any eavesdroppers. She leaned forward and took his hand again, softly caressing it.

"We've begun Rodney… it's finally happening."

He'd gotten used to her touch, something that made him feel like he was betraying Jennifer. He spent so much time thinking of how we was going to explain this to her when she read the report.

"Uhhh... ok… what's finally happening and how are my friends involved?"

She leaned in even closer and drew him in, she whispered in a barely audible tone.

"We're out there now Rodney, It was just the Memorial to start but it's finally happening. We're taking back the wasteland from the mutations."

Rodney was confused.

"What? Mutations? You mean those super mutant ghoul things? What about everyone else?"

She smiled.

"We're saving them Rodney, everyone who is still healthy, still human; we're saving them all… I was going to tell you tomorrow, but if you really aren't sure about us yet then I'll tell you now. Our President wants to meet with you, he wants to tell you our plans and get your uncoerced support."

"Your president? You mean there's an actual government?"

She nodded gingerly, her prior offendedness completely forgotten, she sighed and mused.

"President John Henry Eden… he's such a brilliant man."

* * *

"Ahhh Fresh Meat and Brotherhood at that! What's the matter up there in that bunker'a yours? Running outta ammo?"

The man named Flak was obviously an experienced salesman in arms. John couldn't help but feel a bit drawn to him.

"Not a chance, we're in it to finish. But I could use some information."

John was doing his best to fit in; Vega stood next to him with a combat helmet on to obscure her face and hair. She was very worried about the kinds of people they'd meet. She stood guard as if she were protecting John.

This market place was quite large, it housed the entire magazine the Aircraft Carrier had for its ammo, and each shop sported a different specialty. Flak and his associate Shrapnel who was taking a nap on the couch behind him specialized in weaponry.

"Ahhh you're one of _those _customers. Well I'll tell ya, I got some of the best killing equipment known to mankind, but what you're asking for isn't nearly as tangible. And it's definitely not gonna be cheap.

John had expected this, and having found that the Laser Rifle was grossly underpowered, put it on the table.

"Payment I have, practically new."

Flak picked up the rifle and examined it, despite trying to downplay the obvious good condition of the rifle, John still noticed his interest.

"Hmm… not bad… but I'm gonna have to know what information you want before I can price it."

Vega kept her back to John, constantly watching the nameless guards and citizens of Rivet City walk by. One in particular, a big dark haired man gave her lascivious looks from afar. She made sure her pistol's holster was open, just in case.

"I'm not too sure it's something I wanna talk about in public… anywhere around here we can chat without… distractions?"

Flak growled, as if sensing the possible danger.

"I think something can be arranged… but I can tell you right now that it's gonna be worth more than a decent condition laser rifle."

John narrowed his eyes; he could tell he wasn't going to like this.

"Don't think I won't just leave. You're the first I'm asking, how sure are you someone won't give me what I want for less?"

Flak surveyed Sheppard, and saw the determination and lack of intimidation. He acquiesced and waved him in closer.

"Alright… you make a good point. But I'm not stupid either, you want Enclave don't you?"

John fought his natural reaction, the bluffing game's stakes just got higher.

"Maybe, what's it to you?"

Flak smiled, and licked his lips as if enjoying a taste.

"Profit… and maybe a little stock up. I'll tell you what; you guys look like you're in for a fight… so I'll make you a deal. Bring me a few of those Enclave Plasma weapons and I'll outfit you better than that cheap Brotherhood stuff. The more you bring, the more I give."

John looked to Vega, it was a hard but fair deal, they were looking for Enclave anyway and this might help them in more ways than one. But they'd need to plan it out first.

"What about the info I want? You don't even know what I'm after."

Flak shrugged.

"Agree to the deal, tell me what you want, and by the time you get back I should have something."

John made a motion to give him a minute; he turned and pulled Vega to the side. He was careful to make sure no one heard them.

"You think he might know something?"

She breathed in and sighed.

"He might… but he's got quite an arsenal. We can use the gear if the Enclave is as powerful as they say they are."

John clicked his tongue and thought about it for a moment, and then turning back he faced Flak's smiling face.

"Alright, deal. Now the info I want… I'm looking for any big bases the Enclave might have nearby, somewhere they'd be doing scientific research."

Flak grunted.

"Well fuck, they stomped on Dr Li's old playground by the Memorial. But I guess if that's what you were looking for you wouldn't be here… Alright… I'll put a few feelers out and see what I can find. Just bring me back as much of their tech as you can and we'll work it out."

John nodded and shook Flak's hand in agreement. Shrapnel on the couch grumbled and rolled over, his voice hoarse and obviously drunken.

"Arrgh… the cake is a lie!!!"

Vega raised an eyebrow and looked to Flak.

"The hell is he talking about?"

Flak simply shrugged.

"Beats me."

* * *

"Robert told you to come here? What a sweetie."

John shrugged and smiled, his face felt a bit strange as he hadn't shaved in almost 3 days now. Vera Weatherly in front of him smiled and handed him the key to his room at the same time she counted out the bottle caps John had given her.

"Yeah, I'm glad I got to meet him. I hear he's quite the popular man around here."

Vera nodded, and motioned to her Mr Handy robot.

"You could say that, He saved my cousin Bryan when his parents were killed in some freak science experiment. He won't talk about it much but he says Robert is his hero."

The Mr Handy robot, Mr Buckingham, moved towards the door and swivelled its arms around gleefully.

"Good Evening Sir, Ma-am! I shall escort you to your room!"

Vega stood unusually close to John as they followed the Robot, John only realising she was still a bit nervous around these tentacled robots when it opened the door with one arm, and motioned them in with the other two.

"Here you are Sir! Have a pleasant stay with us here at the Weatherly Hotel! If you require food or beverage, come see me in the main room!"

"Uhh… thanks."

The Robot nodded cheerfully and hovered around John and Alicia back towards the main room. They stepped in and saw a typical navy bunkroom, but with lots of useless adornations and a single bed. John gave Vega a sidelong glance.

"What side of the bed do you want?"

* * *

"Umm… sorry… I kinda was paying attention to the clipboard… could you maybe umm… repeat that last bit?"

Rodney gulped, this wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting.

"I said I'm going to head up to the tower and I'd like you to join me."

Dr Manning wasn't in her usual attire; in fact she looked like just any other woman he'd seen in Pegasus. Except of course for the well done hair, the makeup and the seductive scent of perfume. Her red dress like clothing accented her white skin very nicely.

"Oh… uhh… I guess I can. Will storm trooper number 1 be joining us as well?"

The guard nearby growled, and tightened his grip on the Gatling Laser he held, his fingers hovering over the triggers.

Dr Manning shook her head and sat down on the bed where Rodney was trying to sleep. He didn't have pants on and kept the blanket over his naked legs.

"No… just us. I want to show you something."

Rodney gulped and smiled a weak smile.

"Uhh… okay… but I uhh… I kinda need to get changed."

The guard grunted in amusement, his smile hidden behind the almost demonic mask of his armor.

Dr Manning patted him through the blanket on his thigh; Rodney flinched and felt almost offended by her laugh.

"Don't be so tense Rod. I'll wait for you outside. Don't take too long."

Dr Manning fluttered her eyes and stood up, her hair bouncing gently as she moved, along with her buxom. Rodney gulped and felt like the night was either very young, or about to get very bad.

* * *

"These maps Flak had aren't too accurate. But with Rob's maps I guess we should be ok."

Vega yelled agreement from the washroom, along with curses from the cold water she had showered in. John chuckled and fluffed his pillow, glad to have the armor off. He rubbed his newly shaved chin and winced at the 2 cuts he'd gotten from the dull razor he'd been forced to use. At least the bed was better than the Brotherhood bunk he'd used previously.

"Hey, at least you aren't under constant threat of being examined by Sawbones!"

The stepped out in her BDU's, her other brotherhood underclothes soaking in the soapy water filled sink. Despite what Rob had told her she refused to stink if she could help it.

"Ugh… don't remind me."

John chuckled and rested his head back on the pillow. Vega quickly tossed her armor into the corner where they kept their equipment and ran her fingers through her hair multiple times. It had gone from its usual straight and proper to a curly wave as it flowed down her neck. John, unable to resist his boyish charm, had to comment.

"You know, you look better with your hair like that."

She smirked and gave him a smile.

"You think so? I dunno… I always think it looks like such a mess."

"Nah, it looks nice, gives you more of a natural look. Then again I've only ever seen you while on duty."

She shivered a bit, and rubbed one of her arms while fingering with her hair with the other.

"Well… I usually keep it straight just to keep it from getting tangled."

John smirked and yawned, resting his head on the fluffy pillow.

"Well unless we find some hair gel, I guess I'll get to enjoy it for now. We can see if they have any combs in the market before we leave tomorrow."

He'd already closed his eyes and prepared for the sweet bliss of sleep when he felt Alicia sit next to him on the bed. She shivered and rubbed her arms again.

"You mind sir? I'm kinda chilly after that shower."

John resisted gulping and scooted over on the bed. It seemed a bit comfortable for her to just rest her head on his chest and pull both his arms, and the blanket around her. John did note though that she did feel pretty cold.

The implications of possibly spending a few days like this were starting to worry John. Atlantis should have sent a rescue party already and if anything, already found them with their subcutaneous transmitters. Maybe something was impeding them, but for the moment he had to remain civil, and remain objective about his mission to rescue Dr McKay.

John had to admit, it was hard to ignore the very attractive Captain shivering beside him. Bur he pushed those thoughts aside and closed his eyes again, using his foot to switch off the lights to the room. Tomorrow was going to be a hell of a day and he needed to get a good night's sleep.

* * *

"Oh my god… where are we?"

Rodney leaned out from the railing and looked around, the barren and rocky terrain was desolate and unmarked. Dr Manning put her arm around him as it to hold him back.

"We call it Raven Rock… it was an outpost for our intelligence community before the war… I often wonder what it looked like back then…"

She murmured quietly and with very smooth moves, rested her head on his shoulder. Rodney had gotten accustomed to her touchy feely ways but he still didn't want her to think he was doing anything of his own.

"Uhh…Dr Manning…"

"Please… call me Dephy."

Rodney gulped and tried to keep civil.

"Uh well… okay… Dephy… uhh… there's a good chance that…well if project purity works… well… you might get to see it like that one day."

She smiled and made a contented sound.

"I hope so, with your help I think we might be able to do it."

He kept quiet, and watched as Vertibirds took off below, dozens of Enclave troops were loading and unloading supplies, and what looked like either prisoners or refugees, he couldn't tell which. Truth be told he would help these people, he couldn't imagine what it was like to live in a desolate wasteland like this. The worst feeling of it all though was that to a certain point, he appreciated the help and care that Dr Manning gave him.

"Rod… I'm not making you uncomfortable am I?"

He gulped, and decided honesty was the best course.

"Well to be honest… yeah a little…"

She sighed, feeling bad.

"I'm sorry Rod… it's just… I haven't met anyone like you ever."

She let go of him and leaned her back on the railing, staring intently at him.

"It's so strange… all I've ever known in my life is here in Raven Rock, and almost everyone else here is so… angry. I know it's only been a few days but I see something in you… something I haven't ever seen in a person."

She looked away from him and bit her finger. Rodney was worried now, he'd heard nothing was worse than a woman scorned.

"I think there's a lot neither of us knows. And a lot both of us need to see."

She turned back to him, the moonlight gleaming from her moistened eyes.

"Wow, that's the deepest thing I've ever heard."

Rodney blushed, he just wanted to try and say something neutral. But the look she was giving him made him nervous.

"Uhh… I think I should get to sleep now… I have to meet with President Eden tomorrow and I wanna be…" She wrapped her arm around him and gave him a gentle hug. "uhh… I want to be fully rested… you know, mentally fresh?"

He hoped that was enough to hold off her advances, he'd have to come up with something tomorrow as the look she gave him clearly told him her intentions.

"Yeah… I know what you mean… I'll walk you back to your quarters and… let you get some sleep."

Rodney knew his thoughts wouldn't let him sleep, the constant praying and wishing that John and Alice-what's her face would come and save him. He also prayed the Jennifer never found out about this ordeal.


	8. Necessary Action Part 1

_**Necessary Actions Part 1**_

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_A/N: This is a two part chapter, it'll deal mostly with exposition and backstory for the people who don't know much about Fallout. Though it still has a decent action scene at the end. Part 2 might take a few days as I'm working on a super secret project ^_^_

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"How many d'ya see Leese?"

John controlled his breathing and kept his voice low, he didn't want anyone at the small outpost to see him before it was time.

"Three, two in that heavy powered armor they use and one in some kind of BDU."

The odds were against them, but with some of the explosives Flak had sold them, they'd have a chance.

John and Alicia were at a crossroad, right at the edge of where all the large buildings seemed to end and the desolate plains began. The Enclave had set up a small outpost here and were questioning everyone who went by. The freshly dumped ashes nearby told of their treatment of mutants.

They'd snuck into the building closest to the outpost, a good 60 feet away. The destroyed building provided great cover and they had climbed up as high as they could to get a good sniping position. John had traded his laser rifle in for the assault rifle he'd taken from the Mutants they had killed earlier. It wasn't in good condition but Flak had done him the favour and not only sold him parts, but rebuilt the weapon back into decent shape.

He had several clips, enough for a sustained skirmish, but he didn't think it would be enough to take out power armoured soldiers.

That's why he had a bandoleer of frag grenades wrapped around him. With any luck the concussive blast would negate the inherent strength of the armor.

"Alright Leese, get settled in, we're gonna wait till someone comes by and jump em when they're distracted."

He could hear the grunt of frustration come from her throat, but she nodded and pulled the rifle back in.

"Yes sir."

He sat down across from her, and pulled out something he'd gotten in the Rivet City market before leaving. Alicia furrowed her brow and mumbled quietly.

"What is that sir?"

John stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, staring intently. She caught her error and smirked.

"Sorry… Sheppard."

He smiled and nodded, then pulled out a pair of Nuka-Colas and what looked like meat on a stick. He snapped the stick in half and handed one of each to Alicia who took them with a smile.

"More Mirelurk?"

He shook his head and took a bite, he chewed it for awhile before swallowing and making a strange face.

"Some kind of squirrel actually. It was the most normal thing I could find."

She froze with the stick an inch away from her mouth; she couldn't help but look down at the meat and imagine a sweet little chipmunk smiling cutely at her. She lost her appetite and putting the meat down, instead took the cap off the Nuka Cola and took a sip.

"And this was the most normal thing they had?"

John shrugged, and kept an eye on the outpost through the window.

"Would you have preferred the Mole Rat Meat?"

Alicia made a slightly disturbed grimace. "The hell is a Mole Rat?"

John chuckled silently and put his arms out to the size of a big dog. "Big. Freaking. Rat. We'll probably see them if Flak was being serious about how many there are around."

Alicia squirmed in place and started to look around, as if to keep an eye out for said Mole Rats. "I _hate_ rats… creep the hell out of me. Roaches and Ants too… all those nasty creepy pests."

John motioned to his assault rifle and gave it a few pats. "That's what this baby's for. I hope you've been hunting before cuz we'll probably have to pick the bullets out of our dinner."

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"Come in come in! It is a great pleasure to finally meet you Dr McKay.

Rodney entered the room and looked around, the voice was refined and very eloquent, and unlike any of the other Enclave he'd met. Even Colonel Autumn's strange and intimidating accent didn't hold a candle to John Henry Eden. The strangest part was that he didn't see the man.

"Uhh… Hello? Am I about to fall into a pit of doom filled with Deathclaws?"

From a pair of speakers on a computer panel, a hearty laughter bellowed out, something Rodney hadn't expected.

"Oh no no no, it would be a crime indeed for someone to kill such a valuable resource to the galaxy, and such a crime would fit the punishment you so fear. Sit Doctor, we have much to discuss."

Rodney moved forward slowly, hearing the door close behind him. He carefully sat down and looked around, trying to find his host.

"Uhh… possibly a stupid question, but where are you?"

The voice came from the speakers again, as smooth and articulate as always.

"Unfortunately, the constant work and effort it takes to be President prevents me from sitting with you face to face. But do not worry, I see you clearly and can easily have a straight and civilized conversation with you."

Rodney shrugged, and feeling slightly more comfortable, if a little insulted, nodded.

"Alright… well Dr Manning tells me you want to talk to me about everything that's happened. So… I guess since your guys have all the guns I should let you speak first."

The speakers laughed again, seemingly in earnest.

"Ah Dr McKay, it has been a very long time indeed since I have heard anyone with your wit. It is heartening to see that Colonel Autumn's 'storm troopers' have not eroded your strength of will."

Rodney furrowed his brow. How did he know he called them storm troopers?

"Uh well… to be honest this isn't the first time I've been captured and forced to work for someone I'm not entirely sure of… not that this is the worst… in fact this is the best! Almost as if I were an actual guest if I weren't constantly in the gun sights or claw distance…"

"Yes, well I have had a serious discussion with Colonel Autumn and you will no longer be restricted to the inner base anymore. In fact, you will even be allowed to leave, but I insist that you listen to my proposal before making your decision."

Rodney nodded quickly and sat up in his chair.

"Well yes! I guess Dr Manning was right, you seem surprisingly reasonable in comparison to the rest of the people here. I almost wish I could meet you in person."

"Perhaps one day Dr McKay, when this world is free and no longer polluted with the uncleanliness that covers it now, for now though I will tell you of our plans to accomplish that very same dream. Tell me, what do you think of Project Purity?"

Rodney was surprisingly calm, at least he thought so. The President was by far the most charismatic and sociable politician he'd ever talked to.

"Well… it's ambitious. I haven't seen any kind of purifier that size, even on the base where I come from."

"Yes, Atlantis."

Rodney's surprised expression and opened mouth gasp did nothing to slow down Eden's words.

"Yes Doctor. Unlike my subordinates, I am fully aware of where you come from. Only the highest level of our Government knows of your proper existence. Do not be worried though, we mean you no harm in any which way or form and in fact would like to be able to open some form of formal communication."

Rodney gulped and seeing the opportunity nodded.

"That sounds reasonable… if you allow me access to my ship I can contact Atlantis through the Stargate and see what I can do to smooth things over."

Eden's voice dropped a bit in tone, as if saddened.

"Unfortunately that will be quite impossible, a renegade faction, the Brotherhood of Steel, has made contact with the Ring in orbit impossible. I will still allow you to access your ship though."

"What?! How?"

"They detonated a 40 megaton nuclear device with an ICBM they scavenged and sent it out of the orbit of the planet. I can only imagine they captured your friends and through interrogation, discovered its true purpose and the threat to them."

Rodney was flabbergasted; he didn't know what to believe.

"What? I thought they were supposed to be raiders or something! How did they get hold of an ICBM?!"

"Calm yourself Doctor, I will explain everything and help you to whatever limit I can. Unlike Autumn's men or the rather uncreative Dr Manning, I will tell you that the Brotherhood is quite probably the most dangerous faction that has arisen from the war that devastated this world. They are the remnants of a disloyal part of our army, and hid underground instead of joining us in our efforts to reclaim the planet. Over the past 200 years, they have become mad with power and utilize things such as knighthood, and ritualistic brainwashing to fill their numbers with fodder for their conquest."

Rodney wasn't too sure about what he was saying, but not having any other kind of proof he had no choice but to believe him for now. He seemed to be keenly aware of everything that happened on the base despite not even being here, a suspicious thing.

"I see… and you think they have my friends?"

"I can almost guarantee it. The site of you ship's crash is quite near one of their primary hideouts. On that note, I extent my sincere presidential apology for the actions of Colonel Autumn and his trigger happy pilots. I earnestly hope that this will not seriously adverse any kind of formal relationship we may one day have with your people."

"Well it's far too early to say anything for certain… Although Dr Manning was telling me that your men are searching for my friends, If you were to bring them back that would certainly help with any kind of… agreement we might come to eventually."

"Splendid! I shall redouble our efforts to locate your people. I would ask that you give the most accurate description to the guard outside who will be briefed on our discussion before you leave. Now to the matter at hand, Project Purity. There are aspects of the program of which you have not been made aware, the least of which is that the Enclave did not originally start the program. It was begun by a trio of scientists who have since abandoned it, hence our difficulties in getting it operational."

Rodney had suspected as much, since Dr Manning had very little knowledge or information about how the project came to be.

"Ah! I knew it! But to be honest I don't blame those scientists, it would take a very special kind of genius to figure out a problem that complex."

"I would assume you, with your experience with advanced technology, would have much input to give us on such a sensitive and important matter. Would you confirm my assumption?"

"Well… yes, but without access to the materials it makes no difference. The best I can do with what Dr Manning has shown in your inventory is streamlining and maybe a bit of cleaning up in the software but it's a moot point."

"Efforts are being made to recover the materials and resources needed. Even now our men are searching any place that we might be able to find such things intact. There is one more piece of information we could use your help with. I assume Dr Manning has told you of the mutations that the war has caused to appear all over the wasteland, but I do not believe you have been properly introduced to exactly how bad a problem it is."

"From what she's told me, I'm not sure I _want_ to know how bad a problem it is."

"Nevertheless, I feel in order for you to make a proper decision, you must see exactly what the 'wasteland' has to offer. And so, the screen in front of you will show you a progressive account of the types of people that anarchy and radiation breeds."

The screen flickered and the image of a pretty regular man appeared, he looked fit and clean cut.

"This is an image of the medical standard we had before the war for the average human being. Most if not all of the Enclave meets or exceeds these standards. Next you will see the average person living in the wastes."

The image wiped away, and a new person stood in the same place. He was much rougher looking, wearing animal skins and a much worse complexion. He was armed with something that looked like a rifle.

"This is your typical 'human' in the wasteland, constant exposure to irradiated foods, water, and the lack of a centralized government has led to bands of Raiders, Slavers, and malcontent ruffians forming bands of gangs in former strong holds. Not all are as debased to wantonly cause destruction on their fellow man, but it is a very strange thing indeed to find someone in the wastes that has not killed another man."

Rodney's lips became dry; he was reminded of Mad Max.

"Okay… I guess if I lived in a post apocalyptic hellhole I might understand that."

"Good, because this is the best the wasteland has to offer. Next we move to a festering problem, the Ghouls."

The image washed away and what looked like a Rotting Zombie appeared, It was dressed in tattered clothing, and its musculature and even skeletal structure was clearly visible.

"Ack! The hell is that thing!?"

"That is the product of radiation in both internal and external exposure. The body undergoes a process we still don't fully understand and losing almost all surface area of the skin. The brain becomes festered, and madness takes over. It is a slow process and for many months, even years a Ghoul can appear to be relatively docile, even amicable. But in the end the process will finish, and they will become what you see before you, a Feral Ghoul."

"Feral Ghoul? That sounds strangely fitting… How many people are like this?"

"From our estimates, currently 20% of the remaining population in the wasteland has become some level of ghoul. But if we do not act quickly, the radiation will eventually force a much higher number of ghoulifications. It is an inevitable outcome of prolonged radiation exposure."

"Can't you help them? I mean you do have anti-radiation technology."

"We have tried to Doctor, and to a certain degree we can remove radiation from a human cellular structure. But there are certain dormant alpha-isotopes that we simply cannot remove, and a build up will eventually lead to this same conclusion."

"So what do you do with them when you meet them?"

"Typically when we meet, they frenzy and attack us without purpose or thought of self-preservation. Even the normal humans of the wasteland follow the creed of "shoot first, and never ask questions" when it comes to the Ghouls. But this problem is a passive one, compared to the next creation of the Wasteland."

"There's more?!"

"Much more Doctor, but the next problem is an interesting one and perhaps may hold a solution to the entire issue. The Super Mutants."

"Super Mutants?"

The image changed, this time showing a colossal humanoid, looking more like the Hulk or Abomination than anything Human.

"Holy mother of… is that… was that human?"

"Unfortunately yes, these particular victims are those who were exposed to a biological virus that predates the atomic catastrophe. The Forced Evolutionary Virus or FEV."

Rodney gasped, and had to ask.

"What was the purpose of this virus?!"

With surprisingly quick and calm words, Eden replied casually.

"It was originally meant to create immunity to a very wide variety of biological agents, In the years before the disaster, there was a very real threat of biological attack. Among our defensive plans, research was done and the virus created. It works by changing the host's DNA structure from a double helix, into a quadruple helix, hence increasing biological strength, and potential brain capacity."

"So… A super soldier. Figures."

"You are surprisingly astute Doctor, But I do not appreciate your condescending tone. The FEV virus was a wide success, but it came too late and forces outside of our control sought to use it to more sinister means. After the cataclysm, exposure to radiation mutated the virus into an airborne variety. Most if not all of the wasteland residents have been exposed to it now, and have developed a strange immunity to the beneficial effects of the real virus. We suspect radiation exposure in the subject also creates problems with the intended effects."

"I'm really not liking where this is heading."

"I do not blame you. Most people who are now exposed to the standard FEV mutate not into the superior intellectual it was designed to, but rather a hulking brute with only the most basic survival instincts left. They are mindless killing machines, cannibals, and completely beyond our help."

"I… I can't imagine."

"I would not wish you to or…."

Eden stopped, as if distracted.

"Uhh… you okay there?"

"Yes… tell me, your friends, is one a tall Caucasian male with black hair, and the other a Hispanic female with brown or brunette hair?"

Rodney shot out of his seat, desperate to know what Eden was trying to say.

"Yes yes!!! That's them exactly to a T! Have you found them!!?"

"Perhaps… I am receiving word of travelers in the wasteland searching for their friend from our contacts. I will relay this information to our search and rescue teams. With any luck, soon I will… meet your friends."

-------------------------------------------

"Contact! Engaging targets!"

John dove to the ground, dodging the plasma blast that put a sizzling red hot mark in the concrete where he'd stood not 2 seconds ago. The Enclave soldiers, unafraid of any serious retaliation, moved ahead laying down suppressive fire. John stuck his rifle out again and sprayed fire at them, hoping to draw them closer.

The bullets pinged harmlessly off the heavy armor plating; the worst damage caused was a minor bruise on the arm of the leading soldier. The Enclave officer was a different story, a 308 bullet cleanly taking his head off in the first shot of the battle.

The wastelander who had served as the distraction had ran upon hearing the first shot, but John had cursed himself when the Enclave Soldiers shot him anyway, putting a hole the size of a dinner plate in his back with their plasma rifles. Alicia's sniper rifle fire caused dents in the Power Armoured soldiers, but then had to fall back under the heavy fire they poured into her position.

John had taken over then, waiting for Alicia to move to her fallback sniping position to see what damage she could do against their attackers. The medium calibre assault rifle John used quickly got the soldiers attention, who now focused on hunting him and putting their plasma rifles to work.

John had no intention of seeing the business end of said rifles up close, and pulled out his first grenade, flicking the pin with his thumb then waiting a second to cook it off.

He lobbed it right at the rear soldier, hoping to break their possible retreat. It landed right in front of him, and continued to cook off.

"Grenade! Take Cov…!"

His sentence was cut off by the tremendous boom of the fragmentation grenade's explosion, debris raining down on the entire field. John heard another crack from Alicia's rifle and peered out from behind cover to survey the damage.

Neither soldier had been knocked down as he'd hoped, the power armor providing incredible durability. They staggered about slightly confused, the shockwave from the grenade momentarily stunning them. Their armor was still relatively intact, but John could make out dents and superficial damage along their exposed sides.

"That the best you got Scav!? I'm gonna take my time killing you!"

John aimed his rifle, and fired another pair of bursts at the rear soldier, further confusing him. But he quickly recovered and resumed his advance towards John's position. John on the other hand flicked the pin off another grenade, and this time tossed it high, hoping he'd timed it right.

The soldiers didn't even notice it, but the heavy bang and rush of air and dust through the window belied the power behind the airburst of the grenade. It had managed to knock the rear soldier down, and stagger the lead one. Still no appreciable damage though.

But they'd planned for this and hopefully this was the best use of the few bars of C-4 they had kept.

"Leese! Fire in the hole!"

John covered his ears as best he could, and taking cover flipped the switch on the detonator for his C-4 charge. A massive explosion and shockwave that dwarfed even the combined grenades reverberated through the building, dropping dust and broken concrete all around John.

He coughed in the dusty air, and moved away from his position. Moving higher, he heard another crack from Alicia's rifle, hopefully an effective shot. He reached up and pulled himself onto the next floor by the exposed rebar of the concrete floor, scrambling to get to a safe position. He scurried to a safe vantage point, and surveyed the damage below.

The plan had worked well, and the wall of the building alongside theirs had fallen and crushed the Enclave troopers, who despite now having several tonnes of debris on them, still screamed and shouted for blood.

"_Pendejos_! They're still alive sir!"

John didn't bother asking what "_pendejos" _meant; he could read between the lines.

"Plug em Captain. And watch out for me, I'm heading down there once the dust clears."

John jumped down from his third story position, landing with a dull thud on the floor he'd engaged them from. Waiting a few moments to reload and shift his bandoleer to get better access to his grenades, John swung down to ground level using a piece of bent rebar as an impromptu ladder.

The dirt gave him a silent landing, the crack of Alicia's rifle drowning out any other sound. John crouched and moved carefully towards the doorway that led to their trap.

He carefully stuck his head out, and saw that both Enclave troopers were still moving around, beginning to push the debris off themselves. Neither had their weapons anymore and John took full advantage.

He rushed forward, and picked up the one of the plasma rifles from the ground. Surveying it quickly, he replaced the micro fusion cell with one of his own and primed it.

The Enclave soldier nearest to him screamed, and pushed off the last chunk of concrete holding him down. "You're gonna pay for that!"

John didn't hesitate; with the powered armor, he had no doubt the soldier could tear him in half. So he aimed even as his target was getting up and fired.

The superheated plasma left red hot marks in the heavy metal plates, turning the fully metal encased suit into a person sized pressure cooker. The Enclave Soldier shrieked in pain, but continued to move towards John.

John backpedalled slowly and fired again and again. He emptied the fusion cell's entire charge into the Enclave soldier, finally leaving him a molten wreck on the floor, steam hissing from the openings of the armor.

The other soldier was much more completely covered by the concrete, unable to move or even begin to free himself. He groaned as he realized that Sheppard was going to move onto him next.

John considered leaving him alive, but knew that if he was rescued, he could identify him to his superiors who most likely were after him anyway. John muttered a silent curse under his breath and reloaded the plasma rifle.

----------------------------------


	9. Necessary Action Part 2

**Necessary Actions Part 2**

------------------------------------

"So were those people you talked about my friends or…?!"

Rodney was standing up and screaming at the speaker. As if it were the President himself.

"Calm down Doctor! I have just gotten the reports myself, and from our initial interviews, it appears that they are not your friends."

"How do you know? They could be drugged or have amnesia or any other host of things I don't have a clue about!"

"You must believe me when I say they are not your friends, they have been questioned by one of our patrols and are instead looking for one of their friends who was taken by slavers."

"Do you at least have a picture or something? It could be that they don't know who the Enclave are!"

"You are incredibly persistent aren't you Doctor? Very well, if you will give me a moment I will have our patrol send us an image of each. But you must allow some time for them to follow through. In the meantime I will continue our discussion from before."

Rodney dropped his head, very frustrated, but not having much a choice.

"But but… argh… alright… but please, once you have their pictures please show me so I can see whether it's them or not."

"You have my assurances Doctor. Now back to our original topic, the problems in the wasteland. The FEV mutants or 'Super Mutants' as they are colloquially known."

"You were saying something about it being a solution as well?"

"Yes, because there is prior evidence of FEV mutating, our hope is that our geneticists will be to make a genetic variant of it that will purge the mutations."

Rodney had his hand up in argument, but sighed and stayed silent. He wasn't too sure about these mutations and whether or not the Enclave was acting out of sincere fear, or just totalitarianism.

"I can see you are apprehensive, I do not blame you. But you have not lived on this world, and you have not personally experienced the hardships and tribulations that plague our people. It may seem like a drastic and frankly genocidal course of action, but it has been almost 30 years of war in the wasteland. Many of the men you see in this base were born under the cloak of war and know nothing else."

"I see, well I guess you know your own planet better than I do, but where do I fit in?"

"I need you to make modifications to Project Purity that will allow us to directly lace all the purified water with the virus. Our geneticists have been working diligently, and assure me that in all tests so far, it will not affect a person with limited radioactive exposure in any negative way."

"Oh and how long have they been doing these studies? Lemme guess, less than the 20 years Project Purity has been online."

"Doctor, your pedantic diatribes are beginning to annoy me. I will do you the favour of ignoring them instead of reprimanding them. You are a stranger to our world and our customs and you must accept that. All I need to know is whether you can make the modification or not."

"Well… yes, as long as everything else is in place then definitely! But…"

"Then I would ask that you help us Doctor. And in order to prove my vision to you, I extend to you the offer to join one of our teams that will be heading into the wasteland to commence a house cleaning operation."

Rodney, not wanting to experience the wasteland personally, for fear of all the dangers of radiation, as well as dismemberment, vehemently rejected his offer.

"Oh no no no… I'm quite alright here doing research, I'll be glad to work on Project Purity!"

"Stupendous, I will transfer all needed research and materials to Dr Manning's laboratories immediately. I will immediately order our troops to let you come and go throughout the base as you please.. And before you leave, we have gotten images of the travellers I spoke of earlier."

The screen in front of Rodney activated, and showed two people who while looking similar to Colonel Sheppard and… damn, he keeps forgetting her name… Vger? No that was the Star trek thing… Alice something or other… in any case, it wasn't them.

"*Sigh* no… unfortunately that's not them… but I can use those pictures to give you a better picture…"

"Very well Doctor, I regret that we have not found them yet, but with any luck we will be encountering them soon."

"I hope so… I wouldn't want them running into any of those things you showed me."

The conversation continued, Eden easily multitasking the 20 different things his multilayers processing units were busy working on. Eden began another subroutine, taking the actual pictures of the two Brotherhood armoured people who had attacked the outpost in the capital and sent it to his most trusted subordinates, keeping the information from the recently much more aggressive Colonel Autumn. These Atlantis folk might come in very handy and he needed to make sure there weren't any more… incidents.  
-----------------------------------------------

"You okay Sir?"

John nodded and made a growling noise with his throat, he set down his end of the crate and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"I'm fine, let's just take what we can carry and get outta here before it gets dark."

Alicia put her own side of the crate down, able to tell that Sheppard was _not _ok. Even if it weren't for her natural woman's intuition, the fact that he was being very quiet was proof enough. But as he was both her commanding officer and only ally at the moment, she decided she'd wait until they were safe to see if he wanted to talk about it.

They'd stolen just about everything from the Enclave outpost, Flak had been right and there was more munitions there than they could ever hope to need… at least they hoped. Plasma Rifles, Pistols, Grenades, as well as dozens of parts for both weapons and power armor were all housed inside the well maintained crates. They quickly moved the crates into an abandoned shed nearby, to both hide it and store it as it was way too much for them to carry.

"You think Flak would want those suits of armor?" Alicia panted, tired from hauling the heavy crates.

John nodded, and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Yeah, we're not taking them though. Just take any ammo you can carry and stay close. We're leaving."

She nodded, and shifted the plasma rifle on her back. Alicia followed John as he moved out, leaving the destroyed building and the small now deserted outpost.

It was a quiet walk, they had taken the long route to avoid any others who might see them with the Enclave tech. John's usual chatty nature had apparently been suppressed and it made it all the more intimidating.

It was getting dark now, and they were still far off from Rivet City. John stopped and sighed, looking to Alicia.

"I don't think we'll make it back today… I'm not too sure I wanna travel 'round here in the dark."

Alicia nodded, and looked around.

"We should make camp in one of these buildings, preferably up high."

"Agreed."

John didn't say anything else and instead just motioned for her to follow him.

Slowly, they climbed up the skeletal remains of a large building with some stairs still intact. It was a sobering sight to see the remains of other people in the shattered ruins, some in bathtubs, and others on the stairs. Finally they reached an area that was relatively safe and far from any unsafe ledges. A window in the wall gave them a good view of the area by the river, the most likely area to see other people.

They set down their equipment in a corner and tried to find comfortable spots. When Alicia pulled out her lighter in order to make a fire John waved his hand negatively.

"No… no fires, that'll draw people in like moths to a… well… I guess it would be moths to a flame."

Alicia smirked and then shivered, the wind nipping at her.

"You're right… you got any more of that… squirrel?"

John didn't laugh, and just dug into his pack.

"Yeah, should be enough to last us the night, might have to shoot breakfast tomorrow though."

Alicia was worried, John was typical a very jovial person and his sudden seriousness only made her more nervous. She sat down in front of him and tried to look vulnerable. He handed her another stick of squirrel meat and pulled another one out for himself. John silently chewed and leaned against the wall.

"Sir?" Vega tried to sound a bit worried.

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't Atlantis have sent us help by now?"

John nodded and sighed.

"Something must be stopping them. And Daedalus was heading back to Earth so… might be a few weeks before we can expect any heavy support if the gate's down."

Alicia shivered a bit and looked to John expectantly, he seemingly didn't notice. "So… it's just us then?"

John kept nodding, using his body motions instead of his voice to communicate. He pulled out his canteen and took a sip.

"Just us… and McKay… any luck we'll find the jumper with him and get the hell outta here."

They were silent again, forcing the hard chewy meat into their gullets. Alicia didn't like this one bit and finally decided to be a bit bolder.

"Sir.. Um… permission to speak freely?"

John sighed and pressed his palm against his face. "Leese, I've been telling you to speak freely for days… what's on your mind?"

She moved closer, and leaned forward to whisper.

"Uh well… are you umm… are you okay sir? "

John huffed in amusement. Alicia obviously knew something was up.

"I'll be fine Leese… I just didn't expect to have to shoot someone in cold blood when I woke up this morning."

She understood, Alicia had watched through her scope when John had taken the plasma rifle and hesitated before shootin the second Enclave soldier in the head even as he was trapped under the concrete. It was easy to understand why he had done such a thing, but apparently John didn't want to accept it.

"You didn't really have a choice sir… he could have ID'd us."

"Yeah… that's what I keep telling myself. Just sucks is all."

Alicia decided to let the matter drop, and rubbed her arms trying to keep warm. John, finally feeling a little better, noticed immediately.

"Aw crap, hell's the matter with me? Come 'ere."

John waved her to come closer, she gladly did knowing that he was offering to keep her warm. Alicia settled in beside him, much happier.

"Thanks sir, I _hate_ the cold."

Alicia shivered again and curled up to John. He resisted snickering and wrapped an arm around her, while pulling the field blanket from his pack with the other.

"I guess you'd be used to the heat, you were stationed in Iraq 'fore 'lantis right?"

Alicia nodded as she snatched the edge of the blanket from John and pulled it around her body.

"Yeah, a little too hot but I didn't mind. Ha, guess those are the Spanish genes for ya."

Even through their significant armor, John could feel a certain tightness begin to bother him, he was careful to try and make it inconspicuous, but feeling Alicia suddenly shake a little made him wonder if she knew what her being so close did to him.

Alicia on the other hand was biting her lower lip, hoping the pain would keep her from laughing. She could understand his reluctance and slight embarrassment over being caught, so Alicia simply played it off and tried to remain civil. The Colonel was obviously careful in his newfound camaraderie with her, and years of regulations and just downright courtesy kept him in control. Alicia couldn't help but be a little flattered that he thought enough of her to have to shift his pants whenever they got close.

"So this cold doesn't bother you too much?" Alicia mumbled, trying to keep from giggling.

"Nah, I spent a year at McMurdo 'fore I came here, in the winter no less. I got used to it."

"Mmmm… musta sucked. This place doesn't seem much better."

John chuckled softly.

"Oh I dunno… those giant crabs were pretty tasty, long as you survive killing the damn thing first."

Now Alicia giggled, and settled back into the crook of his shoulder. The hard metal plates were uncomfortable, but she could feel his neck and chin against the back of her head. Alicia felt the obligation and asked quietly. "You want me to take the first shift?"

"Nah, get some sleep Leese. I'll wake you in a few hours."

"Thanks… John."

He raised his eyebrows, and involuntarily pulled her closer. It wasn't often people called him by his first name and Alicia had rarely, if ever, used it. So when she turned around and wrapped her arms around him to get more comfortable, John was reminded of an old Simpson's episode "_Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts…"_

_-------------------------_

"AH! Help! Get away get away!!!"

Rodney fell on his back, tripping over a rock. The cat sized beast moved forward and hissed at him.

Rodney kicked at it but none of his strikes connected, the winged monster jumped up and began to bite at him.

Just as it neared his face, an azure coloured beam cleanly bisected the mutated insect, the wings fluttering to the side as green gooey blood splattered on Rodney. One of its legs ended up on his forehead, the hairy feelers still moving as it slid off.

The Enclave Soldier who had heard him was merciless, he laughed uncontrollably and extended his hand to help the doctor up,

"Oh my god… I'm saving that gun camera footage. Just a freakin' roach."

Rodney dusted himself off, deciding that he'd much rather wait until he could either get transportation or Sheppard and his Hispanic brunette sidekick came to rescue him.

"Roach? That was more like a Big-enough-to-bite-my-face-off Roach!!"

The trooper laughed, and picked him up off the ground. He was still laughing.

"You could step on the little bastards next time, fucking waste of ammo."

Rodney had decided to take a look around Raven Rock to see if there were any viable escape methods, instead he found a nest of some kind among the rocks. He'd tossed a pebble in to see what was in there and came under attack from the giant roach.

It wasn't long before he was back inside the facility, now with full access to his gear from the Jumper. All of the weapons had been confiscated but he at least had his tablet and all the MRE's he could have hoped for. No more risk of radiation poisoning from eating mutated crabs, bears or even giant man-eating rats.

Dr Manning was awaiting him, in her typical scientist smock and a sunny smile. "Rod! So you've decided to stay?"

He nodded and rubbed his neck where the roach had aimed to bite.

"Yes yes yes… I uhh… I kinda had a little encounter with a giant roach that wanted to eat my face so I figure I'll just wait till Autumn's storm troopers in the heavy and safe looking armor find my friends and…"

Dr Manning snickered at Rodney's run on sentence. "Calm down!" She got up and took his hand. "If you want to go somewhere then you'll probably need an escort. I'm going to be heading out soon to take samples from different Wasteland settlements to get an idea of how much radiation exposure there is out there. It's the first time I'll have left Raven Rock and I'd love it if you'd join me."

"Oh… uhh… I dunno… I mean… would I get one of those super snazzy power armours?"

Dephany shook her head and instead went back to her desk.

"No, we save those for the frontline troops. It's not even the most advanced armor we can build but the resources to build them are just too demanding. However… it seems that with your conversation with our president, you've been cleared to have this."

Dephany pulled out a small pistol, and a few bricks of ammo.

"This should keep the roaches away, I guess you really made an impression on him. President Eden I mean."

"Uh yeah, we uhh.. I mean he seems like a decent person… a little demanding, but decent."

Rodney absentmindedly began to check the pistol, clearing the chamber and loading the first clip, Dr Manning watched, impressed. "You've used guns before?"

Rodney realised what he was doing and tried to play it off. "Oh uh…. Just some times… usually my friends are the ones with all the big loud and scary guns."

Dephany chuckled, and pulled out a pair of holsters.

"Here, I hope you're a good shot."

-------------------------------------

Alicia felt movement underneath her, shaking her awake. She spoke with a hoarse voice. "Hmm? Colonel? What's…?"

Sheppard's hand came down over her mouth, silencing her. Alicia fought back for a moment before hearing his voice next to hers. "Calm down… Shh… look."

Alicia blinked hard, and resisted yawning. The sun was down and the only light she could see by was the faded moon in the sky. Alicia nodded and moved John's hand from her mouth. His arm was surprisingly dense with muscle. She turned to look at him and saw him peeking out through the window. Whispering, Alicia kept her voice low.

"What is it?"

John motioned out the window, he had his rifle at the ready. Alicia looked out as well and saw a group of super mutants moving slowly along the river bank. They had assault weapons and the largest one held a rocket launcher.

They were moving in a slow wide pattern, obviously searching. One barked orders to the others. "Argh! Need more… dip in green stuff, make more…!"

John was tired, he'd been awake for almost 24 hours and he could feel the weight of his eyelids, he contemplated taking one of the stimulants he'd found on the Enclave Troopers to keep frosty, but deciding to err on the side of caution, he waved at Alicia to stay low. John whispered quietly. "I don't think they'll see us but we shouldn't stay out here. You feelin' ok?"

Alicia nodded, and stretched her neck before taking her gun in her hands. "Let's move, I'll cover you."

John shook his head and pushed the barrel of her rifle down with his palm. "No, we're gonna wait 5 minutes, and then sneak around them. Rob's maps show a tunnel or subway that'll put us on the other side of Rivet City."

Alicia clicked her jaw, she wasn't too sure about going underground in this place. "Sounds dangerous sir… but I'll follow you if you go sir."

John sighed, he didn't want to go but they needed to get to Rivet City soon and with Super Mutants roaming around, the underground was the most likely way to avoid getting torn apart and eaten.

"Glad to hear it, there's a note pinned to the tunnel… something about Ghouls…"

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A/N: Ugh, strange. Hit a mental block but hopefully I broke it here. Next Chapter should be fun, (if you've played Fallout 3 you know how f**ked up the subway tunnels can get.)

Rodney's gonna get a bigger part now, i came up with a decent story for him thanks to a late night conversation with my bro about something creepy that happened to him in Fallout.

I've actually fully planned out a story now, so new chapters should be a few days apart (max a week)

Thanks for reading! Enjoy and as always, Reviews are always appreciated!


	10. The Underground

**The Underground**

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"Ok… I know I said I'd follow you Sir, and I am going to… but you also said I should speak my mind, so I'm gonna combine the two and say 'I am fucking terrified of zombies and I'm probably gonna burn through my ammo if I see one'. "

John stopped and turned back, Alicia was breathing harder and obviously preparing herself for combat. He raised his own weapon and flicked the safety off.

"Ditto. Now come on, the less time we're down there the better."

Alicia nodded, and taking a deep breath, as well as wrapping a cloth around her mouth.

John moved forward and held up the plasma rifle ready to fire, his laser pistol at his belt. Alicia had another plasma rifle, fumbling a bit more having had less training with the weapon. John opened the gate to the metro station and peered inside. The walls were eroded and many had large cracks and rock formations jutting through them, the floor was covered with all sorts of doodads from tincans, newspapers, flyers, and the occasional turd from some large and probably mutated creature.

"How far does the map say we have to go?" Alicia kept her voice low, her eyes scanning the halls.

"A few kilometres, mostly subway tunnels, Rob's got the exact map here."

"I don't suppose it says where these zombie freaks are?"

John chuckled, and moved deeper into the tunnel.

"No, but that Wasteland book that Moira chick wrote says, and I quote, "Ghouls: give them 2 seconds before deciding to fire, if they don't hiss and rush towards you, try and talk to them, if they do hiss and scream, don't let go of the trigger until they stop.."

"Uhh… that's not exactly encouraging sir."

John nodded and blinked hard, he shook his head trying to clear his head from exhaustion. John then moved deeper into the tunnel and came to an escalator. He looked back to Alicia and sighed.

"Stay close, keep yer eyes open and for christ's sake, don't hesitate to shoot. I fucking hate Zombies too."

Alicia felt the amusement in her throat, but couldn't force it out, instead too worried about the strange noises coming from ahead. She kept close to John and covered the sides and rear as they went down the escalator. They moved quickly, not bothering to explore the area.

John suddenly stopped, and raised his rifle. Alicia dropped to one knee and prepared to fire, her training taking over. John held one hand palm out to her, the signal to hold fire as he held his rifle in one hand,

"Big….. Fucking….. Ants…."

Alicia squinted and could see the form moving across the floor a few meters ahead. They were on top of what looked like a mezzanine and large chunks of what had been the ceiling were littered across the floor. They weren't apparently hostile but at their size it wouldn't be a one sided fight.

"This world is crazy."

John grunted and moved slowly towards the next escalator that headed down to the subway tunnels. "Ugh… wish I had a giant magnifying glass…"

Alicia huffed once in amusement, not daring to make more noise and attract attention. She followed John as he crept down the long broken escalator, keeping an eye out for any giant insects or zombie freaks of nature.

Reaching the bottom, both of their Pipboys started ticking, they quickly checked and looked at each other. Alicia spoke first "Radiation… bomb must have landed around here."

John nodded, and pulled out a small bottle from his pocket.

"Figured we might run into this… Here."

He tossed her the bottle, inside were a lot of pills with a radioactive symbol of them. Alicia gave John a worried look. "What are these?"

John pulled out another small bottle and popped the top with his thumb. "Rad-X, some kind of anti-radiation meds. Supposed to keep the particles from bonding with your cellular structure…" He saw that Alicia was giving him a confused look. "uhh… it keeps radiation from sticking. At least that's what it's supposed to do. Rob said he loves the stuff."

John took a final breath, and then downed the contents of the bottle. He pulled out his canteen as well and forced it into this stomach. Alicia, seeing John do it, did the same. "Ugh… it tastes awful."

"Better than growing another foot." John grimaced as well, shaking his head in disgust. The subway tunnel ahead looked ominous. "Let's move."

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Rodney wasn't too sure about this. President Eden had told him that he was free to go, but from what he'd seen so far, the wasteland was no place for anyone. Yet they'd landed near several settlements that were packed with survivors. Rodney wondered exactly how living in a place like this might be. At his side, Dr Manning put her last sample inside the refrigerated container the Vertibird housed. She sat down next to Rodney. "It's so depressing. Nothing like Raven Rock. I'm guessing Atlantis is so much better than this."

Rodney cleared his throat, and watched out the window as the Vertibird took off. The settlement beneath them known as Arefu had been built quite literally on top of an old highway, a surprising, if easily defendable position. After some questioning, the leader of the settlement, a Mr Evan King, had told them of a group of people living in a trainyard to the north. Rodney hadn't been there for the interview itself, but he knew from the look of the man afterwards that it wasn't a pleasant conversation.

"Yeah… I never cease to be amazed at how much trauma the human can take and still survive… Where are we going now?"

Dr Manning pointed out the window to a pair of train tracks on the ground. They led to a small pair of buildings that slowly came into focus.

"Hey, that's an underground tunnel!" Rodney exclaimed.

"Yes, the citizens of Arefu told us of a band of people who live in these tunnels. We need samples to see how living underground has been a variable in as far as radiation exposure." Dr Manning explained.

"Oh… well I guess that makes sense…" Rodney mused as he watched what looked like a pack of dogs run across the field.

"There's something else as well. We've had reports of people disappearing around here, so we're going to both take samples, and try and find those people."

Rodney was confused. "Wait… so the Enclave is gonna try and police this place?"

Dephany shrugged. "If we don't, no one will."

She dismissed any concerns McKay had, and instead tried to get him to focus on the technological aspect of what they were doing. Perhaps their semi-not-a-date on the top of Raven Rock had cleared her head a bit and she was now treating him like another scientist instead of some kind of not-a-lover. He was glad, being able to freely be himself instead of trying to pull a Sheppard and woo his captors was a liberating feeling.

The vertibird moved quickly, eventually hovering in place over the Meresti Trainyards A trio of Enclave soldiers rappelled down and secured the area. Once it was clear, the Vertibird landed proper and Dr Manning and Rodney got off the ship. He didn't like having to leave the quick moving vessel but maintained his composure.

"Umm, so we're going to have to go down into these tunnels?"

Dr Manning nodded and waved over her escort.

"Yes, we're going to take a look in the tunnels to see if we can find anyone down there. Hopefully they're friendly but if not, we'll fall back and seal them in. No sense risking our people."

Rodney gulped, and hoped the people were friendly for both of their sakes. Dying trapped underground was not a way he wanted to think about, not that he liked to think about death in the first place. He kept close to the Enclave soldier and Dr Manning as they moved into the tunnel.

It was a lot creepier than Rodney would have liked, skeletal remains of both humans and animals were inside the tunnel, hinting at some horrible fate for those who wandered in. The lead Enclave soldier took a few steps down, and then suddenly held his hand up in a signal to stop. Rodney instinctively knew what he meant, and seeing that Dr Manning didn't, involuntarily held her back by her shoulder. "Hey! He's saying to stop!"

She seemed a bit scared, but kept her composure. "Sorry… I… I didn't know what that meant."

The Enclave soldier moved forward cautiously, and a few moments later he crouched down and began to work on something lying on the floor. A few moments passed and he finally got up. His voice was tense but calm. "Frag mine! There's traps all around. Someone's here and they don't want visitors."

Rodney, seeing the perfect reason to escape looked to Dr Manning expectantly. Her words did nothing to calm him. "We need those samples Soldier, get reinforcements if you need to but we're finding the people in here one way or another."

"Roger that, we should be okay on our own."

Rodney instantly spoke, not caring or realizing his standing. "What!? There's an explosive trap and you _don't_ call for backup? What it there's even worse stuff down there? What if we get attacked by 20 people with guns!? What if…?"

The soldier started laughing and waved at him. "Stow it Doctor. If you're that scared then use your popgun. Scare em off."

Dr Manning didn't seem to lean one way or the other, but looked to the soldier. "Like I said, use your judgement. Rod...?" She made her voice just slightly annoyed.

"Umm yes?"

"I think the soldier knows how to deal with situations like this a little better than we do."

Rodney felt thoroughly emasculated, and grumbled silently. He unholstered his sidearm, a rather bulky looking pistol, and moved forward…slowly.

The Enclave soldier stopped every few seconds, and disarmed another trap. Evidently he was very good at his job and spotted the well placed traps from even meters away. The soldier defused a small collection of frag mines, bear traps, and even a pitching machine of some kind loaded with baseballs. Whoever was in this place was obviously very meticulous and efficient with their resources. They reached the bottom of the tunnel, with what looked like a concession stand and a pair of broken down trains.

Dr Manning moved towards the concession stand, seeing a baby stroller lying out in the open. She curiously walked up towards it. The sudden cries of what sounded like a baby alerted both Rodney and the soldier as to what was about to happen. Rodney, being only a few feet away, screamed as he rushed forward "No!!! Get away!!"

He grabbed Dr Manning and tossed her to the side, using his own body and the light Kevlar vest he'd gotten back from the jumper as cover. The explosion from the carriage pushed them aside, pieces of the cluster of frag grenades inside peppering Rodney's entire backside. He shrieked in pain, and quickly realised that without immediate medical attention, bleeding out from the multiple lacerations was his most likely method of death.

The Enclave soldier rushed forward and screamed in rage "Goddamnit! All Enclave Soldiers in the area, This is Lieutenant Darrows on patrol in Meresti Trainyards, calling all backup and immediate Medi-Bird exfil, we've got wounded Civvies and possible hostiles! I repeat! All available Enclave troops converge on the Meresti Trainyards! "

Dr Manning underneath Rodney pushed him aside, and cradled his head as she regained composure. "Rodney? Rodney!? Oh my god! Rodney!"

She blustered around for a moment, quickly checking Rodney's pulse and breathing. He was quickly going into shock and Dr Manning couldn't do much but scream into her radio for medical aid.

The soldier did a quick check of the area, and once he was sure it was secure, he opened a compartment in his armor and tossed it to Dr Manning. "First Aid Kit! Use it! I'm gonna move ahead and clear the way for the Cavalry…" He hesitated a moment and looked to Rodney. "You better live, I owe you a beer."

With that the Enclave trooper moved ahead, deeper into the tunnels to exact revenge on Rodney's behalf. Dr Manning hurriedly opened the first aid kit and flipped Rodney onto his stomach, summoning hidden strength. She tore at his clothing, exposing his wounds and gasped at the damage.

"Why'd you do it Rod? You didn't have to damnit…"

Rodney was wondering much the same in his delusionary shocked state. These were the people who'd tortured him to start, then demanded his help in exchange for not feeding him to giant gila monsters. He tried to reply that he must have been channelling Sheppard at that moment and acted without worrying about the consequences. All that left his mouth though was unintelligible dribbles. Rodney suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left butt cheek and language returned to him.

"Agh! What are you doing?"

Dr Manning tore a piece of gauze free with her mouth and hurriedly slapped it on his back, he was surprised that it didn't hurt much. "It's Med-X, it'll dull the pain. I'm gonna give you a few stimpacks and some psycho as well… Come on Rodney hang on!"

She was near tears, her hands shaking from the sudden stress. Dr Manning flinched at the sound of gunfire in the distance, an automatic weapon and the distinct sizzle of plasma weaponry. The Lieutenant must have found the inhabitants and engaged them. Rodney felt an odd sense of pleasure as he finally drifted into a fugue like state from the multiple drugs running through his system, his last cognitive memory that of a pair of Enclave soldiers, one with a Gatling laser and another with a flamethrower rush forward after their Lieutenant.

-------------------------------------------

John was seriously contemplating taking the Psycho in his pocket. In his brotherhood training they had told him it was perfectly safe in small doses and was used by them in heavy tactical situations. He resisted the urge and opened the door to the next passageway.

The tunnels had ended abruptly, still a good distance from their intended exit. So they had been forced to move through the utility tunnels, encountering several giant ants and even a few dog sized rats that had been much too eager to eat them than either would have liked.

John moved forward and swept the area with his assault rifle, finding the projectile weapon more effective against the unarmored targets than the bulky and hard to aim plasma rifle. Alicia, not having a projectile weapon suited for close range, kept her plasma rifle levelled and ready to fire.

They hadn't encountered any Ghouls yet, but the odd fresh skeletal remains and broken weapons they encountered spoke of recent battle… and possibly more. Alicia had been keeping it together relatively well, supporting him in their encounters and ensuring that neither of them were hurt.

John moved down the catwalk, seeing a wide variety of machinery on both the same floor and the one beneath him, all of it rusted and caked over with dust. A sudden rattle ahead alerted them both. John held up his hand and waved Alicia forward slowly. They got into combat positions and crept ahead.

The rattling was coming from the direction they were heading, behind another door. According to the map this was the last stairwell they had to take down before entering the subway tunnels again. John took a few deep breaths and nodded to Alicia, she took a position on the other side of the door and they prepared for a standard breaching.

John kept a grenade handy, just in case, and opened the door, quickly surveying the room. He scanned the area and saw nothing, so John moved forward and bounded down the stairs, the rattling was even louder now and kept him on his toes. They reached the bottom of the stairwell and were a little surprised to see that the catwalk they were now on was only a few inches above water, the entire area flooded.

"Well… this is unexpected. Shouldn't get in our way though. Keep your feet dry, don't wanna get sick."

Alicia nodded and moved ahead, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. She regretted it instantly as she saw what was making the rattling noise. "Oh my god!"

Alicia turned and covered her mouth, she appeared to be smiling underneath. John was instantly both amused and threatened. "The hell? What's wrong?!"

She moved past him, and quickly turned green. "Smiling… helps the gag reflex."

He moved ahead, and saw what was making Alicia gag. The rattling noise was caused by a badly mutilated body that had gotten caught in the railing, its legs floating free and bouncing around in the current. A satchel of random parts was attached anc in the turbulent waters, made a horrible racket. John felt a little sick himself but managed to keep his composure.

The body was in horrible condition, bite marks were all over it and most of the bones were picked clean. The teeth marks were a bit too large for either then Ants or Rats, and that left only one option down here. John didn't want to think about it and instead went back to Alicia.

Alicia had gotten down on her knees, and was currently expelling the contents of her stomach with a horrible retch. It seemed smiling didn't help at all. John helped her up by her shoulders and patted her on the back. He'd seen a lot of bad things in his time in Special Forces, but never something like this.

"It's okay… it's okay…"

Alicia sniffled and wiped her mouth of the bile, then turned to John with an obviously traumatized expression. "I hate this place…"

John can't help but feel bad. They would have never had to come here if it weren't for his idea to avoid the super mutants. He wanted to explain, to tell her that this is better than facing down the barrel of a minigun, but John couidn't bring himself to do it. All he wanted was to get them both out of here in one piece and never enter these godforsaken tunnels again. John put his arms around Alicia, comforting her. "I'm sorry."

Alicia hugged him back, and actually felt a little better, but knowing they have to keep moving she breaks the contact and regains her composure. "It's okay sir… I'm fine now… Let's just get the hell out of here."

John nods and takes the lead, he keeps to the other side of the catwalk, giving the rotting body a wide berth. Alicia follows and despite obviously feeling sick, doesn't complain. It doesn't take them long to reach the end of the passage, and back into the subway tunnels. Instantly they can tell something is about to go wrong, the Geiger counters on their Pipboys going off at an accelerated rate.

John can't see it, but he can hear it. The hissing sound and infuriated scream, the sudden unmistakable sound of someone rushing at him. He levelled the rifle and squeezed the trigger.

The horribly mutilated ghoul screeched in a raspy voice, suddenly bisected by the spray of gunfire. It's torso still remained moving through, and clawed towards John.

Alicia had steeled herself for this moment, and opened fire with the plasma rifle, burning huge holes into the still moving ghoul, finally putting an end to its misery by turning it's head into a slimey green paste.

There wasn't much time to celebrate, as multiple shrieks from ahead warned them of incoming hostiles. They instantly took what little cover there was and prepared for a fight.

John primed a grenade and cooked it off, he lobbed it ahead of him and winced at the screams that followed the dull thump as it exploded. John reloaded his assault rifle and peered out to see the damage.

There were three of them, one had an arm cleanly torn off by the explosion, but despite getting peppered with the deadly fragments, they still rushed forward uncaring of the consequences. John instantly had a flashback of Afghanistan, when after a successful air raid on a Taliban weapons cache, the survivors had rushed out and met them head on, one of the few times there was an actual battle in that war. He'd seen the same thing and it was terrifying to think of.

John aimed quickly and fired a burst, seeing Alicia on the other side do the same. The 5.56 rounds tore into the ghoul's bodies, causing tremendous damage, but like some horror movie they kept running forward. Alicia was actually having an easier time, the heavy plasma rifle causing much more serious wounds with every shot. She'd torn a large chunk out of one before having to lash out with her foot, kicking so hard that it broke the Ghoul's leg clean off.

John backpedalled and aimed again, this time for the head. He held the trigger down and bullied the rifle into accuracy, shredding the leading Ghoul's head clean off. Even with no head, or brain for that matter, it still lunged forward arms swinging before falling ot the ground with a messy splat.

The last ghoul was too close, his rifle was too long to aim properly and was almost out of ammo in the clip. He tossed it to the side and unsheathed his knife, ready to fight it off long enough tor either Alicia to give him a hand, or to draw his sidearm. John also managed to somehow get his fingers through the brass knuckles in his pocket and he held the knife in the same hand.

The Ghoul lunged at him, batting him to the side with surprising force, Even as he slashed at it it simply hissed and looked at him with blood lust. John resisted crying out for help and instead got within punching range. As it turned out, the rather frail looking ghoul was easily stronger than him, somehow knocking him to the ground and looming overhead.

John recoiled from the ground, and slammed his brass knuckles into the Ghoul's jaw with such force that the entire bone shattered, and hung limply from one cheek. The ghoul didn't even react and instead knocked him to the ground again, stomping him with it's feet.

A green plasma blast came in and melted half the ghoul's arm off, it howled in rage and moved forward, placing a foot cleanly on John's chest. He dropped the knife and pulled his sidearm, firing from directly beneath the ghoul.

Under the combined fire, the ghoul was quickly dispatched into several pieces, most sizzling from the dual plasma and laser fire. It twitched as it lay on the ground, at Sheppard's feet.

Alicia came up to him and helped him up. She dusted him off and handed John his plasma rifle that had fallen in the scuffle. John nodded appreciatively. "Thanks Leese."

"No problem sir, now can we please get out of this zombie horror movie?"

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	11. Developments

**Developments**

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Rodney slowly regained consciousness, he could hear voice far away, both of which he recognized.

"Ah am surprised by his willingness to survive. Even more so by his selflessness, ah would not have judged him capable of such things."

"He's a lot stronger than we thought… but I guess he would be. He hasn't had to deal with the wasteland like the others."

"Yes… Would you do me the courtesy of tellin' him when he wakes up that ah will see him as soon as he is feeling up to it?"

"Of course Colonel. I'll be here until he gets better."

"Ah… yes, ah understand."

The drugs flowing through Rodney's body made everything seem so confusing. He couldn't open his eyes, he could barely move his pinkie if he concentrated, Rodney actually thought it was surprisingly similar to waking up from getting stunned. He recalled the first time he'd taken stunner fire, ending up paralysed for several hours in the infirmary. to the amusement of those around him.

The minutes passed by, and slowly he began to regain motion, still feeling numb from the Med-X painkiller. His back itched terribly, but he couldn't reach, his teeth chattered slightly at the terrible sensation.

"Are you cold Rod? Here."

He felt a warm fleece blanket go over him, not exactly what he wanted but it was very comforting. Rodney managed to open his eyes to a narrow slit, and could see the blond Dr Manning above him, her face still dirty from tears and the dust of the Meresti Train yard. He managed to get a hoarse voice out. "Dephany?"

She put her hand on his mouth, and shushed him. Dephany seemed so sad, and obviously she felt responsible for what had happened. "Shh… don't try and speak. You should be fine Rod, another few hours and you should be able to get up no problem."

Rodney was amazed, he'd been grievously injured and Dephany was saying he'd be okay in a few hours? He'd known how advanced their medical technology was, but this was very impressive Voodoo.

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Alicia looked up at the dark sky and sighed contentedly. John smirked and waved her along. "Falling in love with the sky?"

Alicia smiled, and taking a deep breath of the dusty air, felt it was the best breath she'd ever taken. "I'd kiss the moon if I could sir."

John chuckled and checked his map for where they were, Rivet City wasn't far off. "Well come on, I'm hoping that's the last time we ever have to go through those tunnels."

They had made it through the tunnels relatively unscathed, but the memories of the zombie-like monsters and their cannibalized victims were burned into their memories, something never to be forgotten. Rivet City wasn't far off now, and with any luck they would get the information they needed, and get the hell out of dodge so to speak.

They entered the city without much problem, Harkness remembering who they were. But when they tried to enter the market, it was locked down for the night. Upon questioning one of the guards, they were told to have to wait until tomorrow to speak to Flak, who had since retired to his quarters on the mid deck. John cursed the stupidity of the situation and decided one more day wasn't asking too much. He figured he owed Alicia one, so when they entered the Weatherly Hotel to rent their room again, he asked to see the menu.

Alicia, assuming he just wanted to resupply, was just about to head off to their room when John told her to stay.

'Hm? Stay for what?"

John chuckled. "Dinner! What? You think I'm letting you go to bed hungry? What kind of CO would I be to let that happen?"

Alicia snickered, and seeing that no one except the giant Mr Buckingham robot was around, figured it was better than nothing. She still felt a little queasy, but she might be able to hold down something light. "Alright Sheppard, what's for dinner?"

Mr Buckingham instantly displayed the inventory of food the Hotel currently had.

"Good Evening Sir, Madam. We have a very fine selection of victuals available at this time, including a rather fresh selection of Mirelurk Cakes from the restaurant downstairs in the market!"

John, knowing that Alicia was feeling unsettled, let her choose what she wanted. He himself took a rather tasty looking squirrel stew that at least would warm him up. Alicia on the other hand took a bottle of Nuka Cola and a Brahmin steak. When asked what a Brahmin was, Mr Buckingham described something very similar to a cow, except for the 2 heads of course.

They finished up and withdrew to their room, John taking extra care to make sure Alicia was ok. John didn't know what it was, maybe it was his innate sense of protection, but he felt he had to take care of her, especially in this wasteland. Yet again they slept in the same cot, each time less apprehensive than the last. Alicia seemed comfortable as she rested her head on his shoulder, cuddling up to him to stay warm. How he was going to explain this to Carter was a mystery, but if he was right and Atlantis was incommunicado, he would have a few weeks to come up with an answer.

They woke up the next morning feeling better, glad to be somewhere relatively safe. Once dressed, they brought one of the plasma rifles with them, holstered with the safety on so none of the security guards got in their way, to Flak in the market.

The man was waiting with a certain glee, a happiness that could only mean love. "Goddamn! I knew you two were hard as fuck, but Brahma on a pogo stick, an entire fucking outpost?"

John furrowed his brow, had the news of their deed gone this far already? "What? How'd you find out already?"

Flak chuckled, and fiddled with his desk. "I figured you'd ask, so I taped it for you, now is that the rifle I asked for?"

John had had enough of the man's fleecing, he held the rifle away from him and muttered softly. "Look, we went through hell to get this, and there's a lot more out there we've hidden. All of it's yours if you outfit us and give us the information we want."

Flak lost the smile, but quickly regained half of it. "You're not half as dumb as you look. Alright 'Spiky', you got a deal."

John handed him the rifle, and furrowed his brow. "Spiky? If this is about the hair…"

Flak laughed wholeheartedly, then handed him a holodisc. "Don't look at me. You wanna complain you go see Three-Dog in person."

John's nerves instantly shot. Three-Dog was the person on the radio. "What?" He turned to Alicia. "Three Dog is the guy we heard when we first came here."

She nodded, and looked around suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Alicia saw on the other side of the room the dark haired man looking at her again. He remained unshifting, staring at her with a piercing gaze. She didn't like it one bit, and tugged on Sheppard's sleeve. "Sheppard?"

"Hmm?"

Alicia kept her voice low. "Put your arm around me like I'm your girlfriend."

John did a double take, and then replied in the same low tone. "Say _whaat?"_

Alicia put her own arm around him, feeling his muscles tensing up. She looked at him expectantly and whispered. "That guy is staring at me again, if he sees us together he might get the hint."

John looked around and saw the man off in the distance. He absentmindedly put his arm around Alicia and brought her closer. "Uhh ok. Special Forces never taught this."

Without any hesitation, Alicia nodded and put her head in the crook of his shoulder. "No they didn't… but that guy gives me the creeps so _please_ help me."

John smirked, Alicia did have Special Forces training. "Yeah yeah, come 'ere ya little…"

He tried to make it look believable, and motioned for her to help him. "Here, put that holodisc thing into your Pipboy. See what's on it."

In front of them, Flak was busy examining the plasma rifle, when he saw them so close he made a lurid smile in their direction. John felt like giving him the finger but thought better of it. The recording began to play and Three Dog's theatrical voice was heard.

"Because one dog is too little, and two dogs ain't enough, it's Three Dog your master of ceremony!" John and Alicia looked at each other, this Three Dog character was certainly melodramatic. "Time for the news just listen to this. Kiddies, you are going to _loooove_ this. I've always been a true believer that the Capital Wasteland is an entity of it's own, all that radiation had to do _something_ other than make big dumb mutants."

Flak started laughing as he listened to the recording. "He's a hoot, funniest shit you could imagine."

John grunted in confusion and kept listening. "…and just like any entity, it'll fight infection with anything it can. Weeelll… I've just got a report that says a pair of hardass Mercs dressed in shiny combat armor just knocked over an Enclave outpost at the edge of the downtown ruins."

Alicia instantly felt the lump in her throat, she paused the recording. "Oh crap… someone saw us."

John bit his lip and sighed. "Can't do anything about that now. Let's just listen to the rest and see what Flak got us."

Alicia continued playing the recording. "These two Mercs are described as…. Nah! You ain't getting it from me Eden! But I hereby proclaim them 'Spiky' and 'Cutie' respectively! The Bonnie and Clyde of our times!"

John smacked his forehead, though Alicia blushed _very _hard. He figured she got the worse of the two and snickered a bit, hoping to diffuse the situation. "And here we were making nicknames for ourselves… Cutie."

Alicia gave him a death glare, but seeing his spiky hair and dumbstruck face started giggling too. "Oh god… Cutie and Spiky? Someone has way too much time."

John palmed his face and groaned emphatically. He looked up to Flak who was busy chuckling at John and Alicia's expense. "Like I said, go see the man himself if you want. He's not that far, maybe a day's away."

John shook his head in bitterness, his plan to avoid the downtown area may have just gotten harder. "Alright alright… what'd you get for us?"

Flak nodded and handed John another holodisc. "That's a map of all the Enclave outposts I know about. Some of them appear to have computers so you might find some useful information there. I've got more but I want those coordinates where you stashed the stuff."

John smiled menacingly, and kept his voice low. "There's half an army of ordinance there. I want to know the info you've got is worth it."

Flak nodded, and licked his dry lips. "I've got someone who's been out there, actually talked to Enclave and lived to tell the tale. I've also got someone who keeps tabs on them, hears a lot more than I do."

John thought about it, and realised that he needed any info, since they really didn't have the Intel needed to as Three Dog so eloquently put it, 'knock over' another outpost. If someone had seen them, it was likely that their descriptions were known to the Enclave, even if Rodney hadn't spilled the beans. "Alright… shoot."

Flak rubbed his hands together, obviously loving the idea of the weapons he'd be receiving soon. "Go downstairs and ask for Butch DeLoria, he got stopped by the Enclave a few days ago and they actually let him go through. And as far as the guy who knows more than me… well… you just heard his broadcast."

Alicia could feel the rage ripple through John's body, it was so obvious and yet, they'd missed it. "Three Dog? What could he know about the Enclave?"

Flak shrugged. "Beats me, but he's the go to guy in these parts, the Brotherhood uses his radio station as an outpost so most everyone who goes there hates the Enclave..."

John cursed under his breath, and handed the map he'd drawn up to Flak. He grumbled a bit and then spoke up "Alright, explosives. I want them."

-----------------------------------

"Whoa! Slow down Rod… You're alright but you shouldn't move around too quickly yet. The plastaskin will take some time to fully integrate into your body."

Rodney had finally awoken from his drug induced slumber and had gotten out of the bed they'd put him in and was looking for his clothes. Dephany had found him wandering the med-lab and was trying to get him to sit.

Rodney on the other hand, was currently hiding his exposed backside against the wall. The cold metal and sharp grating was barely felt under the plastaskin transplant he'd received. "Uhh… seriously, this is the best I've felt after being brought to the brink of death and back because you know, I uhh… it's happened before and I've never been able to walk or even talk much within hours of it happening…"

Dephany smirked, but her eyes watered as she took his hand. "Thank you Rodney… You didn't have to do what you did."

She squeezed his hand and moved forward to hug him. Rodney winced and cried slightly in pain as her hands pressed against his treated wounds. "Ow ow ow! Wounded here, big explosion? Remember?"

Dephany let him go, and smiled to him. "Sorry… the doctors say that… you lost a lot of blood Rodney… but they got all the fragments out and the plastaskin will take a few days to fully integrate into your own body. You'll need a transfusion every few hours but you should be alright."

"Well, if I don't get some warmer clothes then I might die of pneumonia! Let alone the probable chemical, biological, or radioactive particles that are going through my blood now from the shrapnel…"

"Our doctors have cleared you, part of the IV we gave you was a Radaway solution. You're completely clear of any radioactive particles and there wasn't any chemical or biological contaminants in that godforsaken hellhole that we couldn't get rid of."

"Godforsaken Hellhole?"

The blood in Dephany's face drained, clearly something had disturbed her. "They're monsters Rodney. The people who did this to you. We captured their leader and…"

Rodney gulped, he didn't like the way her voice quavered. "And what? What happened down there?"

Dephany's lips quivered, and her breath caught in sobs as she tried to get the words out. "They're… _oh god… Rodney… they're animals… inhuman monsters."_

She covered her mouth and the tears flowed freely. Rodney felt his manly obligation, and a little less bashful about his clothing, he moved forward and hesitantly gave her a hug. Dephany resisted squeezing him back and only laid her hands on his shoulders.

_  
"I can't Rodney… I can't say it… it's too horrible…_ Colonel Autumn wants to see you… He'll tell you what happened…"

Dephany let go of him and faced away, in between sobs she opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out Rodney's clothing. Without another word, Dephany handed it to him and walked away, wiping the tears from her eyes. Rodney didn't know what to make of the situation and just put his clothing on. Colonel Autumn was an imposing man, and showing up half naked was not a proper thing to do.

-----------------------------------------

"Is that him?"

John squinted and looked at the man. He was pretty imposing in his worn and dirtied combat armor, but the obvious attention he lavished on his hair and the bottle in front of him gave him right away.

"Greasy looking, and getting drunk, exactly what Flak said."

Alicia sighed and bit her lip. "He's supposed to help us find Dr McKay? Why am I not encouraged…?"

John huffed in amusement and motioned for Alicia to follow him, slowly he walked down the steps and stood in front of the young man. He looked up, obviously more interested in Alicia then John. Despite already having drunken a bit, the shock on his face was completely sober. "Amata!?"

Alicia was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

Butch did a quick double take and then calmed. "Whoa… Chicky, you're the spittin' image of someone I knew."

Alicia did the same double take. She recalled the image Rob had shown her of a girl named 'Amata'. "How do you know I look like Amata?"

John was helpless, the strange argument unfolded before him without any chance of interrupting. Butch kept his shocked expression "How do _I_ know? How the hell do _you_ know about Amata!? No way she's out here already!"

Alicia furrowed her brow, the situation was quite confusing. "A guy named Rob told me about her… had a picture of her too."

Butch scoffed and then started laughing. "Oh Rob? You mean that do-goodie-two shoe. So how'd you meet Mr 'Lone Wanderer'?"

Again, Alicia replied before John could, she sat down in front of Butch and stared right at him. "He gave us a hand a few days ago. How'd you know him?"

Butch smiled, and leaned forward obviously misinterpreting Alicia's movements. "Well now, that's a story that I don't tell strangers. Of course if we have a couple drinks together, maybe we can get to know each other."

Alicia sat up straight, resisting the urge to slap Butch. John decided this was as good a moment as any and called for the bartender. "Hey! Three bottles of the hard stuff here! Unopened!" He sat down next to Alicia and gave Butch an intimidating, if non threatening glance.

Butch returned it with a slightly impressed look. "Looks like someone's got a little drinking experience. I guess I'm about to make a couple'a friends so let's get introduced." He cleaned his hands against the Kevlar fabric of his armor and held his hand out to Alicia in a slightly more than friendly manner. "Name's Butch DeLoria, and the pretty lady in front of me is?"

Alicia had one of her hands underneath the table, and even as she shook his hand with a smile, her other hand poked John in the leg, begging for his help. "You can call me Cutie, and this…" She motioned to John who stayed still. "is my boyfriend Spiky. You may have heard of us." Alicia turned to John and gave him a seductive look and lick of her lips.

John had to struggle not to burst out laughing, and instead summoned enough willpower to put his arm around Alicia and give his own seductive look. "Yeah, apparently we're kinda popular."

Butch raised his eyebrows, and kept silent as the bartender showed up with a trio of hard liquor bottles, he looked expectantly to John. "These don't hit the table till you pay."

John handed him double the caps he wanted and growled softly. "Keep it coming. Sealed,"

The bartended smiled, yellow and crooked teeth showed his delight. "No problem, but I ain't draggin' yer sorry ass outta here if you pass out."

John nodded and broke the seal on a bottle of rum; he motioned for Butch to take one of the others. "Consider that the beginning of our… friendship."

Alicia, not wanting to be the odd one out, took the remaining bottle and in a manner similar to John, took a sip of the harsh substance. "And since we're gonna be friends, we can tell each other whatever stories we want…"

Butch smiled, and took a heavy mouthful of the bottle John had gotten him. He was completely unfazed by the strong liquor and smiled. "Well well well… Maybe tonight _is _gonna be a good night for Butch."

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	12. Untitled Chapter

**_Untitled Chapter_**

"Come in Doctor, Ah am glad to see you ah in good health. Ah will begin by giving you mah most sincere and humble apology. Not only for the injuries you sustained on our reconnaissance mission, but also for our treatment of you in our initial encounter."

Rodney stood, ignoring the seat despite wanting to sit. Colonel Autumn seemed to be genuine in his apology and Rodney nodded in appreciation. "Well… it's nice to know you're willing to try and mend the fences between us. And as far as my injuries your doctors tell me that I should be back to my normal hypochondriac self in a few days if not sooner. Dephany said I should ask you about__what happened in those tunnels though…"

Colonel Autumn got up out of his chair, the thin edge of an almost imperceptible smile faded quickly. "Yes… Ah conferred with our President and he suggested you see the leader of the… denizens that inhabited the lower section of the tunnels."

He motioned to a side door in his office, leading Rodney through a dark and foreboding tunnel. Soon through he ended up in the top catwalk of an auditorium. Dark except for a lighted center with a horizontal pole. A dishevelled looking man dressed in a red and brown robe hung with his arms tied to the pole. His face was caked with dirt and dried blood, his robe similarly dirtied. Rodney wondered how he fit the bill of an inhuman monster.

"What umm... what were they doing down there?"

"They were hiding from the prying eyes of civilization. I do not know how long they have been hiding from normal society, but I can plainly see why they saw fit to try and protect their cruel ways."

"What? Cruel? What did they do?"

"They're cannibals Dr McKay. They feast upon the dead bodies of their victims. This one claims to be more… civilized."

Rodney felt sick, the idea of cannibalism was _not _something that conduced good feelings in a person. "Civilized? You're telling me that if I had died down there he wouldn't have thought twice about eating my dead body and he thinks that's _civilized?!_"

Autumn clenched his fist, and pressed a button on a pad nearby. "Yes Doctor. Perhaps now you understand why the Enclave is the last hope for the Wasteland." The horizontal pole began to rise, and Rodney could hear the man below groan as his body was pulled up by his tied wrists. It was hard to feel sorry for him after what happened.

The man bit back the pain from hanging, and began to yell. "You have destroyed the children of the night… nothing you do to me will have any significance!"

Rodney gulped. "Children of the night?"

Autumn nodded and released the rising mechanism. "In a perverted manner of brainwashing, this man gathered a group of cannibals to teach them the ridiculous concept that they can be vampires and survive off blood alone. In the end it makes no difference as they still kill innocents."

"Vampires!? The hell is the matter with these people?" Rodney nearly screamed.

The man who hung from the pole looked up and bared his fangs, growling furiously. "Do you think I believe I can change into a bat and fly away? I gave those people a home when others would feed them to the beasts of this world!"

Before Rodney could say anything, Autumn leaned over the railing and pulled out his sidearm. "How ironic." A single gunshot echoed through the cell, reverberating off the metallic walls. The man groaned loudly, but managed to keep himself from screaming. The shot had gotten him in the stomach, a non-lethal wound but if he didn't get treatment soon, it didn't matter.

Autumn pulled on Rodney's sleeve and tugged him away, back to his office. "Ah do not believe you ah the kind of man to seek revenge, but for you sake, he will not suffer long."

Rodney heard something come from the now darkened cell, a growling unlike anything he'd ever heard before. The ungodly screams that followed chilled Rodney to the bone, and one word came to his mind.

"_Deathclaw"_

_------------------------------------_

"So he went on his own?"

Butch scoffed and seemed pissed off. "More like I fired him. He didn't know jack about how things are in real life. Thinks he can go out and save the wasteland."

John was trying to keep control, this Butch character must have been a serious drinker from youth as even after downing 2 bottles of hard liquor, he still seemed somewhat coherent. John had managed to keep it together by splitting his drinks with Alicia, but both were nearing the line between soused and trashed.

"Wait wait… ok… so like… he's a 'good guy"? like what? What makes him such a good guy?" Alicia slurred her words slightly.

John sniggered and poked Alicia in the side, teasing her over her wording. "Hahaha… you're so drunk."

Alicia giggled too and elbowed him softly. "You tooo."

Butch chuckled, and shook his head. "I'm still looking for a drinkin' buddy. Rob was a freakin' teetotaller, least you pair lasted awhile."

John was happy that Butch had accepted them, but if he drank anymore he'd likely say something he really shouldn't. He'd gotten enough information out of Butch to have a decent bearing on where the Enclave might be coming from, and what their outposts were meant to do.

The Enclave was taking samples of anyone passing by, and anyone with too high a rad count in their samples was detained. Butch, having come from a Vault and relative safety, passed their radiation test without a problem and was in fact offered to join them. Butch on the other hand had heard of what the Enclave did to Rob and his father James at the memorial and without hostility declined.

Butch excused himself as he got up. "Thanks for the booze, now I gots to see if Sydney wants to gets some action. Have fun tonight kiddies."

John giggled drunkenly and waved goodbye, Alicia next to him dropped her head onto his shoulder and slurred "Ughh… I thought he'd never leave…"

Laughing, John patted Alicia mindlessly on the shoulder. "Neither did i… holy fuck I've never been this drunk so early…"

Alicia giggled, and tugged on John "let's go to bed… _fuck! I mean uh… aw fuck_."

John laughed and pulled her up as he stood. They swayed in place and giggled madly. "Ha ha ha… funny. You want me to sleep with you."

She shook her head and then started laughing. "Fuck, you know what I meant… come on… take me… wait… no…. lemme…"

John cracked and struggled not to outright howl in laughter, he shoved her face into his chest to shut her up before she embarrassed herself anymore. Once he calmed enough he whispered into her ear. "Just shut up Leese… you'll be fast asleep in a few minutes and you can forget this ever happened."

Alicia nodded and resisted laughing as well. Since she was a lot smaller than John, the liquor was hitting her a lot harder. Alicia was breathing heavily and with the whole time they'd been with Butch, she'd been pretending she and John were an item. So now that it was over, she couldn't help but keep hugging him up. John patted her on the shoulder as they left the Muddy Rudder.

She kept giggling and rubbing him as they walked down the corridors. A few of the residents gave them confused looks, seeing as it was only 2pm, but kept their distance. Alicia didn't care and only wanted to fall asleep when she saw him again.

The dark haired man, watching her. He never said a word but his look told her everything she needed to know. They were in the same corridor as their room now, and in the drunken state she was in, a twisted logic hit her. Alicia stopped John, and turning to face him she planted her lips hard on his.

He resisted for a second, but quickly got into it, feeling her hands wrapping around his body, It took a delayed reaction of a few seconds, but before he could ask her what the hell was going on, she moved up to his ear and in a pleading voice begged "Play along. _Please."_

So John did, he picked her up and dove right into her neck, teasing her mercilessly. Her gasps and giggles did nothing to show that it was a farce, and when they finally entered their room, the fact that neither of them made any motion to stop slowly began to filter into his mind, almost unnoticeable against the feeling of her lips on his neck.

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Sister was a big man, a surprisingly tough and angry one too. You didn't want to ask him how he got his name as he never explained it. He had chosen to forget his past, to forget Paradise Falls, Eulogy Jones, or any of the slaves he'd gotten.

He didn't care about them, it was just a job to him. He'd been sent here to capture an android from the Commonwealth, but this place was too swanky to leave, what with all the single lonely women onboard that just loved his big strong muscles. The fact that he didn't have to force them was something of a novelty to him.

She was different though, that hot brunette that had come on board a few days ago with that tall dude was something else entirely. She didn't have that defeated expression most chicks had, neither did she look like she never took care of herself. The only other girl he knew with that same fire was Clover, and she'd long ago left his reach.

Not that he really wanted her for himself, he knew that he'd never get her on his own, she made it so clear that she was banging that tall dude's brains out that it was almost comical. No he realised that he might be able to make some serious improvements to his life if he played his cards right.

The radio Eulogy had given him was on the table, exactly where he'd left it. He wondered what the lavish man might say now that it had been months since he'd called. But ever since that kid from vault 101 showed up with Clover, he had the sneaking suspicion that with a little coercing, Sister might make a mint with just a little information.

She'd take awhile to get used to being a slave, but Forty would probably have some fun with her first, or blow her head clean off.

---------------------------------

"Don't get me wrong… I'd…"

John fought the haze in his mind, Alicia lay next to him breathing heavily. They'd almost given in to drunken urges and even now, as Alicia lay on top of him, he wasn't sure it wasn't still going to happen.

Despite the obvious inebriation, Alicia was still at least minorly coherent. She stopped peeling away at both John's and her clothing and remained still. Her voice was soft and vulnerable. "I'm sorry sir…. I just… that guy keeps staring at me and it creeps me fhe fuck out. Like seriously… I'm scared… it's…"

John shushed her and held her close, she was obviously frightened and he couldn't blame her. So far they'd seen only a fraction of what the Brotherhood had warned them about, and Slavers were a real menace on this world. Rob had perhaps been a bit blunt, but his heart was in the right place. Alicia was a prime target for Slavers and they had to deal with it.

"I don't know what to say Leese…"

Alicia spoke softly, and hugged him tightly. "It's just you and me… I can't trust anyone else …" She cried softly as she buried her face in his chest, completely unashamed. "I'm so used to guys staring… _but not like that… _he looks at me like I'm some kind of…"

John took her face in his hands, her face was dirty with tears, and he saw how fragile Alicia Vega could be. John moved her closer and gently pressed his lips against hers. She didn't resist.

Once she calmed down, John broke the lip lock, he resisted continuing, not only because of dozens of regulations forbidding fraternization, but the awkwardness that would come after something happening would be unbearable. "Leese… talk to me…"

She sighed and laid her head down, her voice remained soft. "I just don't… I can't help but think… it's been 5 days John… _five days…_ how long d'you say it would take for Daedalus to show up? 5 _weeks?_ How are we supposed to _survive_ in this place for 5 weeks?"

John didn't really have an answer, but he held her tightly in his arms and sighed, his head still spinning. "I know we're trying to rescue McKay… and I know I'm asking a lot… but if I can help it I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Alicia cuddled him hard, she moved up and looked him right in the face "Kiss me."

John groaned in frustration, this was the last thing he needed now. "You're gonna have to explain that."

She sniffed as if on the edge of crying. "I can't stop thinking about it… what might happen… I want you to kiss me so I can stop thinking about it."

John gulped, and let the breath he'd been holding in out. He could feel his mouth watering and the heat coming from her body. In John's twisted drunken logic, a small concession might help her, yet keep things civil.

So he leaned forward and kissed her, keeping a very clear mind that that was as far as it could go. Alicia seemed recognizant of this as well, not pushing the limts.

Within a few minutes, Alicia finally sighed and laid her head on John's shoulder, sleep overtaking her. John took a deep breath, hoping that this didn't get anymore complicated than it already was.

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A/N: Last chapter for a fortnight. not enough time to write 3 different stories effectively. :p however you can start to see where i'm going to take this for reading all!


	13. Trimming the Elbow Talons

_A/N: Sorry for the long delay in writing this, been preoccupied with another story I'm writing. This WILL finish and with the surprising amount of alerts and favorites I've gotten, I decided to speed this up a bit. Not to say chapters won't be slow coming, at least until my other two major bunnies are on paper. Also, Reviews are greatly appreciated as are suggestions. Oh and uh... the chapter title is a reference to Futurama, 20 points if you get it!_

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_**Trimming the Elbow Talons  
**_

"Mmm… this new armor is a lot more comfortable. How does yours fit?"

John shrugged, and tried to move around. "Yeah it's pretty sweet. Flak sure knows how to put these things together."

John checked some of the new plates Flak had installed onto the brotherhood armor. He had salvaged it from used Rivet City Security suits and the standard armor now camouflaged great, as well as had added layers of heat dissipating ceramics. Flak had assured them it could take a few plasma shots before the heat became lethal, but John still didn't like the idea of testing it.

They also rearmed with different weapons. Vega kept her sniper rifle, but traded her pistol for the plasma rifle they'd stolen; it allowed her to cover both long and short ranges with much more stopping power, John on the other hand traded his standard assault rifle for a heavier one, with rounds akin to 7.62mm as well as the Smuggler's End laser pistol. Each also had a bandoleer of frag and pulse grenades in case they ran into robots, something that made both John and Alicia cringe. As if nuclear war wasn't bad enough, there were crazed robots roaming the wasteland.

John felt the most important weapon they had was the plastic explosives Flak had obtained them. Bullets and magnetically encased plasma were good, but nothing beat good old fashioned RDX for taking out a hard target. They had plentiful bricks of it and from the places Flak had pointed out, they could always trade for more.

Rivet City was far behind them now, they hugged the river but kept a good eye out to watch for any other moving beings. Several times they were forced to fall back to avoid a full on confrontation with roaming Talon Company mercs, Super Mutants, or the surprisingly delicious Mirelurks. Alicia was tempted to take a lurk down for lunch, but acquiesced to John's desire to remain unclawed. The most disturbing thing they saw was something that looked like a defended position, and both human and super mutant bodies strewn about the bullet pockmarked and burned area. Bags of gore attested to the Super Mutant's cannibalism.

They had crossed the river several miles north of Rivet City on a bridge that looked like it had been the scene of a battle, it was covered with blast marks and several chunks of the side were missing. The center of the bridge was separated and the pair had to jump a narrow gap and hope it didn't come crashing down.

They had supplies for about a week, Flak doing some severe trading for them with the other Rivet City merchants. John absolutely loved the tailoring job Bannon had done for his suit of armor as it now fit like a second glove. He had even gone further and installed armored sleeves on the damn thing. Apart from the pip boy which they had unfortunately found out was bonded to their skin, John and Alicia were well armored and potentially very dangerous.

They had stayed pretty quiet the whole morning, both still a little uncomfortable with the events of the previous day. But John had finally decided to let the matter drop and with it now being a little after noon, led them to a dark area so they could eat lunch. It wasn't a hard deduction to see that Alicia was partial to Mirelurk, so John had gotten her plenty of the delectable yet deadly crustaceans, which he now handed to Alicia to her delight.

It had been a dull day so far, with only a few small skirmishes involving mole rats and giant roaches that creeped the hell out of Alicia. A few well placed kicks and a full micro fusion cell and she had gotten over most of her fear of the creepy-crawlies. John tended a small fire where he heated up the mole rat meat he'd scavenged when Alicia heard some rustling in the distance. "Do you hear that Sir?"

John raised his head, and listened carefully. Some voices were off in the distance and he finally heard them. "Yeah… coming from upriver."

They both looked at each other, ready for combat. John kicked dirt onto the fire snuffing it out, and looked for any kind of cover. The building they were next to was completely flattened and served little more than just a barrier. Alicia poked her head out from behind cover and used the scope on her rifle to check their surroundings. "Looks like Talon Company. 4 of them."

John growled, and pulled out his heavy assault rifle. No better way to test it. "You see what they're armed with?"

Alicia nodded. "Mm-hmm, 2 are pretty light, looks like assault rifles and some cheap looking armor, one looks like the ones we saw before, has a shotgun and some half decent armor. The last guy looks huge though. Looks like heavy combat armor and… the hell is that?" She handed the rifle to John so he could take a look. "I can't tell what that thing is."

John took the position, and looked over the group heading towards them. The heavily armed man looked like he carried a giant sledgehammer. It was festooned with spikes and what looked like hydraulics. "The hell? It looks like a big mechanical hammer!"

They both gave each other strange looks, but with impending combat, didn't give it another mind as they locked and loaded.

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"Hmm… that's amazing. I would have never thought of that."

Rodney resisted saying _"Of course you wouldn't, you have no creativity when it comes to science." _but thought better of it. "Yes well… it's all a matter of prior experience isn't it?"

Beside him, Dephany worked out the materials needed for the console Rodney had designed. "I guess… I'll admit it's a little intimidating to work with you, most of the time I'm working on power generation or ballistics materials."

Rodney shrugged, and figured that while these people might not be the best people he'd ever met, they sure as hell beat getting eaten by cannibal vampires. "Yes well, unfortunately I get that a lot even at home. Really there's only one other person I know that can even come close to matching my prowess with technology and unfortunately she's my boss. So as you can imagine, we get into some heated debates every now and again."

Dephany smiled, and turned in her seat. "Really? Who is she?"

Rodney shrugged, and turned in his own seat to face Dephany, the Enclave equivalent of Coffee in his hand. "Her name's Sam. She's a Colonel in our military and frankly one of the best minds my world has ever created."

Dephany raised her eyebrows lasciviously. "Sounds like you admire her."

Rodney nodded, and took a sip of the hot beverage. "Most definitely, but I think I've caught up to her. She goes to me for all our scientific concerns with the city or when we explore."

Dephany furrowed her brow. "Isn't that kind of a waste? I mean if she's such a good scientific mind why is she wasting her time with the military aspect, don't you have others that take care of that?"

Rodney wasn't expecting the question, and even as he opened his mouth he realized the answer. "Well… that's a good question. I guess she just realizes I'm good enough and focuses on the rest… every once in awhile she still helps me out with something. Usually she's busy with our leaders or Sheppard, or…"

Dephany held her hands up silencing him "Alright alright, I get it. I guess I'm just used to our ways. I mean most of us get genetically and personality tested to the best jobs suited to us."

Rodney felt the lump in his throat form. "Huh? Genetic testing? They screen you at birth?"

Dephany nodded with no hesitation. "They screen out genetic illnesses and print out a chart with genetic potential. It's more of a guideline really, but it's never been wrong."

Rodney shuddered, it was almost fascist to think of. "You can't be serious, what about personal choice? Don't you get to choose what you want to be?"

Dephany made an unsure shrug, confused over Rodney's pestering questions. "Personal choice? You mean you weren't guided towards the scientific field even though you're obviously good at it?"

Rodney was slowly losing his mind, yet another side effect of radiation poisoning he sadly thought. "Yes! No wait.. no! Now just wait… I _like_ science, and I studied long and hard to get to where I am. That doesn't mean I wasn't naturally good at it, but my people don't screen people out for the types of jobs we should be doing!"

Dephany was even more confused. "Wait… but how many people are there on Atlantis? Surely over the years you've had to train your children on how to run everything and teach them new things. Doesn't it make more sense to see what they're good at and nourish it?"

Rodney scratched his head and continued in his perplexed voice. 'Well… in a way yes… but we don't have children on Atlantis! We're a military base!"

Dephany's eyes opened wide. "So… you weren't born there? Where were you born?"

Rodney answered before he could think. "On a planet named Earth, in the Milky Way Ga…" He instantly realized he was letting too much information out. Even if these Enclave weren't capable of getting to Earth, it was never a smart thing to reveal.

"Earth? I thought Atlantis was your home?"

"Uhh… well, we're an expedition force. So we still communicate and deal with our home planet."

Rodney tried to downplay it, but Dephany was quickly entranced. "So… how many people live on Earth?"

They weren't the Wraith, and as far as he could tell the Enclave were being _relatively_ civilized. Certainly the most civilized humans he'd met in Pegasus for awhile. "Well… at last count… something like… 7… billion…ish."

Dephany's eyes glazed over, the number was almost too much for her brain to handle. "7 billion!? Oh my god!"

Rodney shrugged and kept trying to downplay the subject. He tried to get back to the Genetic and Personality testing. "Yes yes… it's a lot, but what about the screening process?"

Dephany didn't let up, and instead remained staunch in her resolve to get Rodney to answer her questions. "7 billion people!? Rod… do you know how many people are in the capital wasteland in its entirety!? Less than fifty thousand! There's only about three thousand people in the enclave in it's entirety!"

To this, Rodney was forced to ask a question. "Only three thousand? So wait, everyone else is out there? In the wastes?"

Dephany nodded and took her glasses off. "I can't even begin to imagine that many people Rod. I can't imagine how everyone finds productive ways to use their talents."

Rodney kept his mouth shut, he didn't want to tell this woman about the problems on his own planet, especially not after she'd raised him to near god-like status after his selfless move in the Meresti tunnels. Dephany saw he was uncomfortable and instead motioned for him to follow her. "Well… here, I'll show you our genetic screening processes."

Rodney mumbled a bit, and felt a little self-conscious about what these 'screening' processes might entail.

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Alicia waited another 2 seconds, then let the round fly.

The heavy .308 round knocked the heavily armored Talon merc to the ground, his helmet sent flying. It hadn't penetrated it though and he stumbled about on the floor confused.

The other 3 mercs followed the sound of the shot, and opened fire to suppress the sniper. Alicia had planned on this and had already fallen back along the river, heading to a shack where she'd have at least some cover.

John waited, hidden behind a tree with a frag grenade ready to throw. He waited till the other three Talon Mercs were close enough, and lobbed the grenade right into their midst. The nearest one panicked and jumped to the floor screaming "Pineapple!"

The loud bang of the grenade staggered the 2 remaining men who stood. Their standard combat armor deflected most of the shrapnel but they quickly recovered. "Flank out!"

John radioed Alicia, and kept his head down amid the sudden fire heading his way. "Leese? You got a shot?"

He waited a moment, and not hearing any response, jumped out low, his rifle up and aimed for center of mass shots. He caught the merc on the left in a duel burst of bullets, the other spinning from a shoulder shot from the sudden crack of Alicia's sniper rifle. John kept moving, and kept low, but he could feel the bullets whip past him.

The Merc he'd fired on crumpled, badly wounded but still fighting. The other Merc had lost his gun from the sniper attack. John got up and kept firing, emptying his clip into the Merc he'd targeted.

He'd just reloaded his assault rifle when he felt a dozen punches hit him in the chest. The combat armor did its job well, and instead of falling from the shotgun blast, John changed his target and opened fire. The Talon Merc had a look of surprise as a dozen bullets tore into his chest, past his flimsy light armor.

Another pair of cracks from Alicia's Rifle, and only the heavy combat armored merc was left, still dazed from the head shot Alicia had given him. John moved over quickly, and kicked the super sledge away from him. Using his foot, he turned the man over and held the rifle to his face. "You alive?"

The man was in shock, but still had enough consciousness to spit at John. John simply gave him another kick to the ribs to remind him who was in charge. "What are you doing here?"

Now more alert, the man growled. "So you're the new fucking saints of the wastes? Pathetic, Jabsco'll tear you apart."

John flicked the hammer back on the rifle, ready to use it if needed. "Talk, or die."

The man growled softer, as if starting to believe John would do it. "You let me go if I talk?"

John looked up and down at the man, if he let him go unarmed, he'd probably end up on the wrong side of a Mirelurks claws or a Super Mutant's weapon. The alternative wasn't much more pleasant either. "Deal. Now what were you looking for?"

John backpedaled to give the man a moment to sit up, but kept the weapon ready. He tapped his pip boy and mumbled "Cutie, you can come down now. "

On the other end, a rather annoyed voice came in. "Roger that Spiky!"

John waited, and finally he saw Alicia's trim figure coming from deeper in the city. The man kept his voice low, and he scratched the stubble on the side of his head where a bruise had begun to form. "We got a contract to hunt down some wasteland do-gooder. Reports had him in this area a few days ago. We were trying to get his scent."

John had an idea of who he was talking about, but without any further proof. Rob would have to remain anonymous. "Alright, who's this Jabsco?"

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"_WHAT!? PEDICURIST!!!?"_

Rodney made no attempt to hide his rage over what the G.O.A.T. exam had labeled him if he were to live in a vault, Dephany couldn't hold her laughter and patted him on the shoulder. "Rodney! Relax! These tests are just kids stuff, there really isn't much need of high-tech systems or weapons down there, so a lot of the smartest people get jobs like that."

"I do not like feet! Who the hell invented this ridiculous excuse for a job assessment test?" Rodney was nowhere near convinced that this was in anyway shape or form, a prudent means of job assessment.

"I'm _trying_ to show you what passes for education out there. Even in the vaults, the last real remainder of civilized society other than the Enclave, frivolities like these have taken over,"

Rodney clenched his fists, ready to snap. "So how did _you_ end up in the position you're in?!" As he finished his sentence, he felt a sudden spasm in his abdomen. "Ugh!"

Dephany instantly was at his side, steadying him. "Rodney! What's wrong?"

Rodney felt the compression in his stomach, and the sudden fear of the foods he'd been eating. "Oh my god… it must have been something I ate. No wonder I haven't gone to the bathroom recently."

Dephany got a worried look on her face, and hit the intercom. "This is Dr Manning; I need a medical team to school room 12 on the double!" She turned back to Rodney and helped him up, "Don't worry Rodney, it's probably just that your body still isn't used to our food. Our medics will probably just give you a nice intestinal clean sweep, and you'll be fine."

Rodney's face changed to horror. The idea of a colonoscopy was the last thing he wanted, and even now, as a power armored soldier helped him up onto a gurney, Rodney prayed for Sheppard and that Alice V'ger chick to hurry up and get found. But he knew God was probably laughing at him now, and he'd have to rescue himself from this hellhole. As soon as he'd recovered from whatever doom was brewing in his stomach, he'd ask to see the Jumper again. Who knew? Maybe he'd end up being the hero of this adventure!

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_A/N2: Rodney as a pedicurist makes me laugh, as the first time my brother played he ended up being that and couldn't figure out why (Tag skill Energy Weapons). Next chapter, Rodney recoups (yet again) plenty of more action and Three Dog! YAOW!!!_


	14. Traveling and New Friends

**Traveling and New Friends**

**--------------------**

"Get outta here, next time I won't be such an amicable host."

John kicked the merc in the backside, and shoved him away deeping into the DC ruins. He kept his weapon on him until the merc had left his sight. Alicia next to him stirred. "Is it such a good idea to leave him alive? I mean… it's perfectly possible he could be lunch for all the crazies out there."

John shrugged, and looked again at the note in his hand. "Yeah, but we've got to keep our heads on straight. If we start killing everything around us, we're gonna attract a lot of attention. Not to mention we're still soldiers. Just because we might be here for awhile doesn't mean we should go native so easily."

Alicia clicked her tongue, and cleared the chamber of her rifle. "I'm not saying let's go on a rampage, but from everything we've heard, Talon Company isn't exactly the 'saints of the waste' to quote that guy."

John sighed, and looked at his Pipboy, they only had a few hours of light left and he'd much rather find somewhere safe to hide. Up ahead, just as far as he could see was what looked like a sturdy looking shed on some kind of concrete patio overlooking the river. It looked better than hanging around in the open, so he pointed it out to Alicia and they got moving.

The fallen Talon Mercs were carrying plenty of ammo, though most of it was useless to them. John had discarded the assault rifles, and instead took the Shotgun seeing a potential use for it. Alicia humped all the medical drugs they found and was still a little disturbed by John's dispassionate tossing of their bodies in the river.

They took one last look around, and confident no mutated monsters of the wasteland were watching, continued their trek upriver.

Alicia felt like saying something, while the tension between them had loosened, it felt like a strange air was between them. She poked Sheppard in the arm to get his attention. "Sir?" John grunted. "Sorry… Spiky." Again John grunted, Alicia laughed, and sighed. "Alright… John."

John finally turned to look at her, his face a stone with only the hint of a smile. "Yes Cutie?" This time Alicia grunted, and John chuckled. "Yes Leese?"

Alicia rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Do you really think this Three-Dog guy is going to have anything useful for us?"

John shrugged, and kept walking. "Even if he doesn't, we might meet more people who do. His radio station has Brotherhood there so we should be safe. And with any luck Rodney's making his own plans to escape. If I know him, he's probably wrist deep in some kind of computer system figuring out someway of finding us."

-----------------------------------

While Rodney wasn't wrist deep in computer cables, something else was wrist deep inside Rodney. A healthy dose of Med-X kept him from really feeling it, but the strange feelings coming from his colon made him gripe and moan in what he thought were horrible sounds. To his side, Dephany held his hand throughout the entire ordeal despite repeated and emphatic tries on his part to convince her not to watch.

His moment of shame was quickly over, and the obstruction was cleared. A milky white substance was used to sooth any tenderness, and he quickly felt the shame return. The endearing smile Dephany gave him made it all the worse. "Oh god… do you really have to stand there? It's sooo disconcerting to think about what you're seeing and actually experience it at the same time!"

She snickered, and patted his shoulder. "There's a lot you should learn about us. Living in such a close environment to everyone else… these kinds of things are normal Rod. It's nothing new to me." She sighed, and then handed him a note. "I'll leave you alone now… you should be feeling better in a few hours. One of the soldiers gave me this to give to you. I haven't read it but I think I know who it's from. That Lieutenant who escorted us into the trainyard."

Rodney was still too preoccupied with the bloated feeling in his stomach, and set the note down without reading it. "Yes yes yes… I'll read it later… now _please… _before I get even more constipated from you watching_._"

Dephany patted him again on the shoulder, and leaning in, gave him a little peck on the temple before she left. It took Rodney a few moments to realize it, but damn, did she just kiss him!? This world is insane!

_***A few hours later***_

"Ummm Hello? Is…" Rodney looked at the note. "Lieutenant Darrows here?"

Rodney had finally read the note, and found that the man who had charged into the line of fire in revenge for Rodney's injury had finally come back to Raven Rock, and had made good on his offer of buying Rodney a beer. An olive skinned man sitting alone in the corner raised his hand. "Dr McKay! Over here." He waved him over and waited patiently for Rodney to get near the table. He seemed to be completely at ease with the donut shaped pillow Rodney placed on the seat.

Rodney on the other hand felt humiliated, if Sheppard ever found out about this… "Uhh yeah… I got your note… Thanks I guess."

The man nodded his head, and passed him a glowing bottle. "Here, that's one of the rarest things you'll find in the wastes. Nuka-Cola Quantum."

Rodney looked at it intently, curious as to what the liquid was. "Umm do you know anything more about it?"

Darrows chuckled, and took a sip from the bottle of regular Nuka-Cola he was drinking. "I can tell you it's got a hell of a kick. In fact if you wanna just save it I won't be offended. I've only found about 4 of them on missions and I'm in the lead for our competition in finding them."

Rodney decided to err on the side of caution, and pocketed the bottle. "Oh… well… Thanks. Your note said you wanted to talk as well…" He remained silent, watching the man in front of him shift into a comfortable position. "Well.. I don't really know that much about this place, so anything you could tell me would be great… umm?"

Rodney made a motion with his hand asking Darrow's name. the olive skinned man chuckled and pulled out another bottle of Nuka-Cola. "Alan. Lieutenant Alan Darrows, Enclave Patrol unit 3-15a. I've asked Colonel Autumn if he'd be alright with me being your personal escort, and he agreed as long as you're alright with that."

Rodney raised his eyebrows. "What? _Personal Escort?_"

Alan nodded, and took another sip of his drink. He handed the extra bottle to Rodney with the look that Rodney should drink. "That's just regular Nuka-Cola, plenty of that around. But yeah, after what I saw you do for Dr Manning down there…"

Rodney again was thoroughly confused, and this was happening much too often recently for his comfort. "Uhhh… Okay… not that I don't appreciate the thought, but I'm sorta curious what you mean."

Alan furrowed his brow, and looking to the sides saw they were alone. "I've never seen anybody voluntarily do what you did. In the Enclave, we work as a team, but we're all trained like lone wolves…" He sighed, and took another swig of his nuka-cola. "Rumor has it that you come from somewhere else… somewhere… really far away."

Alan raised his eyebrows, and suggested what Rodney was thinking. "Umm… I don't know how much I'm supposed to reveal here…"

Alan smiled, and snickered slightly. "That's what I was hoping. You don't have to tell me, I can see it in your eyes. You've never lived here in the wasteland. You probably live somewhere where it's all green and verdant. No mutants… no deathclaws… no giant insects nippin at you every chance they get."

Rodney thought he saw a hint of sorrow in the man's voice. He didn't understand why though. "Well… like I said, I'm not sure exactly how much I'm supposed to tell you. But umm.. yeah… I'm ont used to this kind of place… So… sure. But I mean, would we be going anywhere?"

Alan set his drink down, and shrugged. "That depends on you, and how much walking you're willing to do."

--------------------------------------

"Welcome! Here to buy or sell?"

John and Alicia looked at each other, and then shrugged. "Ummm buy I guess… What do you have?"

The old woman got up out of her chair, and opened a footlocker nearby. Inside were all assortments of meats, and food items. "We've got the biggest supply of lurk meat this side of the river! Best damn meat you ever fried, flamed, or shot!"

Despite the odd dialect, Alicia was instantly smitten. "Ohhh… do you hunt them yourself?"

John rolled his eyes, and looked in his compartment where he kept the bottlecaps that were used as money in these parts. Flak had gotten them a decent amount, but it wasn't like they could buy every shiny object that came by. "More importantly, how much?"

The old woman laughed, and sat down next to the locker, she motioned for them to sit in front of her. "Oh my, what a lovely couple you two are. Please! Sit! It's been so long since I've had any favorable company what with those rough looking young men running all over."

John sat and furrowed his brow. "You mean those Talon Mercs?"

The old lady smiled and nodded. "Yes, they were so stingy… only bought enough for a day or two. They were looking for another young man, he passed by here a few days ago. Lovely young man."

Alicia was busy looking into the cooler, and saw the parts she wanted. "How much for those?"

The old lady saw which once, saw how much Alicia wanted it, and sighed softly. "Do you have caps? Or do you want to trade?"

John rolled his eyes, and pulled out a handful of caps. "I'll pay caps, Unless you wanna take this shotgun off our hands."

The woman raised her eyebrows, and looking at both the weapon and the caps, bit her lower lip. "Umm… you know what? I'll take both, and you can take whatever you can carry. My boys need spare parts and that looks exactly like what they need."

Alicia's eyes brightened up, and she looked to John. "Sir?" her eyes said the _please_ she couldn't articulate.

John sighed and handed over both items "Here you go… and if you can give us some directions…?"

---------------------------------

Rodney wasn't used to wearing any armor heavier than a Kevlar vest. But this Enclave Police armor was pretty snazzy and formfitting. It wasn't anything like the power armor Darrows wore, but he could easily see how it could protect him from both bullets, and even some energy weapons if it came down to it. He'd also been granted access to the civilian weapons storage, mostly small pistols and submachine guns. He was more interested in the Plasma Pistol Darrows now handed him. "So uhh… how long have you been a soldier?"

Darrows shrugged, notoriously difficult in the heavy armor. "Since I was born, I've been training since I was a kid. Not much else I could really do here."

Rodney accepted the small power cell Darrows handed him, and loaded the pistol. "Well… what did you want to be when you were a kid?" He kept the gun pointing to the floor, and away from any people. Just like John had taught him.

Alan shook his head, and pulled out his newly modified Plasma Rifle. "Doesn't matter. It's not like I really had much a choice. I'm… happy with what I do. So it doesn't matter."

Rodney noted that he kept saying it didn't matter, but the body language, and the tone said that it did. He didn't know Alan well enough to do anything though, so he kept his mouth shut. "Well… if you're umm… if you're sure."

Alan opened his mouth, but didn't say anything and instead finished loading his rifle. A few moments passed and he laid the rifle down to teach McKay about the Plasma Pistol. "Alright, you load the cell here…" He showed him the receiver. "Now the sights on this are a little different. Because the plasma is a lot bigger than a bullet, and travels slower, you lead your target quite a bit more, but also aim more for center of mass shots."

Rodney bilnked a few times, feeling like he was back at home training with Lorne and Sheppard. "Umm.. Okay."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "You getting this? You do _not_ want to misfire with this thing. But it's the only weapon that small and light but still strong enough for the kinds of things out there." He took the pistol out, and showed Rodney how to aim it properly. "See? The sights are on the side, not on top like other weapons. Now give it a few test shots."

Rodney took the gun again, and with a little hesitation, aimed for the target 20 yards downrange. He aimed for a few seconds, then fired. He hit the bottom of the target to the side. Alan clicked his tongue. "What'd I tell you? Use the sights on the side! That would have been a nice shot."

Rodney swallowed hard, and tried not to think about the loose feeling in his posterior.

--------------------------------------

John and Alicia had almost ran through the subway, it was a much shorter trip than last time, and other than a few mole rats, they were unchallenged inside. Now that they left the subway though, The could hear gunfire coming from ahead. John checked the map and cursed. "Goddamnit, it's coming from where we need to go."

Alicia took in a deep breath, and pulled out the plasma rifle she carried. "Don't have much choice do we?"

John shook his head, and racked the first round of his assault rifle into the chamber. "Stay low."

They moved ahead, past a fountain and across a small pedestrian bridge, soon enough the situation was clear, Super Mutant Bodies were lying all over as well as Brotherhood and Enclave troops. John took a few moments to relieve them of any medical and ammo supplies before continuing along the path.

They crossed through a darkened tunnel, seeing scorch marks and bullet holes along the entire area. Static began to crackle through their pipboys as radio signals filtered in.

John held up his hand, and the stopped for a moment. He listened in to the radio as he tried to clear the signal up. "Listen…"

So they did, a mixed conglomeration of screams, gunfire, and people giving orders. Unworldly voices in the background to 2 different styles of command. John finally realized what was going on as he listened. "Oh crap… Remember what Lyons told us? This radio station is a brotherhood outpost! It's under attack!"

Alicia gulped, realizing that heavy combat was probably only a few hundred feet away. "Should we try and break through? Or wait till it's over?"

John listned again to the screaming radio. He made out distress calls, as well as orders to move in. It seemed the Brotherhood was hard pressed at the moment and needed their help. "Crap. Let's go, If it's too dicey we'll fall back but the brotherhood needs our help."

Alicia nodded, and flicked the safety off her rifle. "Let's go!"

Without another word, they moved on, it wasn't long until the reached the first obstacle, a Super Mutant sniper waiting at the end of the tunnel. John took cover, and suppressed the sniper with a few bursts from his rifle. Alicia swithed back to her Sniper Rifle, and after a little cat and mouse with John, put a 308 round right into the eye of the Super Mutant in the building across from them. Without a skull to get in the way, the bullet bounced inside the thick bone dome, and the Mutant dropped through the window and made a sickening crunch as it landed.

John moved ahead, keeping low to avoid being seen. He quickly checked the fallen super mutant and once he was sure it was dead, waved Alicia forward. She switched over to her Plasma Rifle and they moved into the broken building. Debris and bodies lay strewn about, and as soon as the entered they were engaged by more Super Mutants. John ducked into a room deeper inside, while Alicia stayed back, feeling the bullets land near her.

John poked his head out, and fired a burst at the nearest mutant, the tough skinned monster brushed it off and fired his hunting rifle. John was surprised, he would have thought they'd be much better armed. He waited for the Mutant to run through his clip before calling to Alicia. "Concentrate fire!"

They jumped out, and under a barrage of plasma and rifle fire, brought the mutant down to its knees and finished it off with a plasma bolt to the face. The sound of combat was louder, and moving through the shattered husk of the building, picked off the stragglers of the Super Mutant Contingent.

It wasn't long before they'd killed another 4 mutants, and were in front of Galaxy News Radio. A quartet of heavily armored Mutants with Miniguns were laying thunderous suppression fire on the Brotherhood soldiers ahead, they returned fire with their laser rifles and heavy assault rifles, but weren't making too much progress. John kept hidden behind a wall, and opened a radio frequency. "This is… Spiky calling any brotherhood soldier!" He rolled his eyes, he didn't really want to say his rank out in the open and Alicia couldn't help but giggle at his call.

A few moments passed, and a familiar voice came in. "Spiky? As in Spiky and Cutie?!"

John sighed, and waiting for the fire to die down a bit, replied. "One and the same, we're outside Galaxy News Radio and are in position to lay cross fire on the mutant aggressors." He hoped Three-Dog understood military lingo.

It didn't matter much, as soon another voice came over the radio. "This is Paladin Hoss, Are you the ones the Citadel sent word for? What is your name?"

John grunted, this was taking too long. "Yes! My name is John Sheppard!"

A few moments passed, and a nav marker popped up on John's Pipboy. Paladin Hoss's voice came in again. "I've given you the location of a small cache we have out there. There should be a rocket launcher you can use to take out those Mutants outside, We're too suppressed to get it outselves!"

John sighed, and looked to Alicia. "doesn't look like I've got much choice. Get up somewhere high and get ready to lay some cover. Here." He handed her his assault rifle along with a few clips of ammo.

Alicia took it, and fumbled around. "It's too much, I can't carry it all." She unslung the plasma rifle, and handed it to him "Here, you'll be better of with it than me."

John accepted the rifle, and took a few deep breaths. He motioned for her to move and he ran off himself. John kept low, still worried that more mutant stragglers might be around. It wasn't long before he found the cache Paladin Hoss had marked out, and he quickly rummaged through it.

There was a lot of ammo here, more than he'd probably ever need, He figured he might as well use it, and grabbed enough ammo to fill his armor pouches. The Rocket Launcher was evident on a rack, along with 3 missiles beneath it. Another missile was below as well, this with a nuclear symbol on it. He grabbed all four, and slung the launcher around his back.

IT was pretty straightforward, load, lcok, and press the trigger to launch. He wasn't sure whether or not it was a soft or a hard launcher, so he decided to strike out on his own instead of rejoining Alicia.

He climbed up the wall, scraping himself against the broken concrete, John didn't care about the wounds and instead, once in a nice position, loaded the launcher. In the distance, the 4 mutants had spread out, 1 firing back into the building, the other 3 moving closer to the radio station while still firing. '_jesus how much ammo do these bastards have!?"_

John clumsily fumbled about with the launcher, but then finding a good purchase point, sighted in on the three mutants leading the attack. The scope showed him up close that they were already wounded, but with all the armor they had, repeated laser and bullet impacts did litte damage. He took a deep breath in, and let the missile loose.

It was a soft launch, but he still felt the recoil push him back. It felt a lot like an old LAW firing, except a little bigger. He silently wished for a Javelin, but then winced and covered his face as the missile found it's target.

He'd missed completely, but the shockwave stunned 2 of the three mutants. The third spun around and began to fire at him, emptying the box of ammo the Minigun had at him.

A splash of fire shattered against his armor, and John could feel the bruises begin to form. It hurt, but nowhere near what he thought it should have. He ducked behind the now dusty concrete, moved a few feet down, and reloaded the launcher.

He waited until the incoming fire died down, and standing up, let another rocket loose. This one slammed into the stomach of the Mutant firing on Alicia's position, and despite tearing a good chunk out of him, it still fought back. "_Jesus what does it take to kill one of these things!?"_

With only one rocket left, he tried to make it count, he waited another full minute before reloading and aiming, now seeing two of the mutants on the floor dead and riddled with bullets. The 2 left were making a final stand, back to back in an attempt to retreat. He sighted them, led by a few feet, and fired.

They must have been carrying some explosives, as the blast was easily 3 times more powerful than the rocket itself should have. Pieces of scorched meat and armor plating rained down on the battlefield. John called Alicia back down from her perched position, and they moved towards the radio station. He held his hands up, trying to show he wasn't hostile.

The launcher on his back dug into his shoulder, but he figured it would be better to let them see who had helped them beat back the mutants. A pair of men came out of the building, one in heavy power armor, and the other in casual clothes and a headwrap. The one in the headwrap started laughing and held his arms out in greeting. "Welcome! Kind and quite famous travelers, to my impenetrable fortress of freedom! I've heard a lot about you two, and I hope you're everything I've ever dreamed of!"

John raised his eyebrow, and felt Alicia come up behind him. "Uhh… And you are?"

The man suddenly became solemn, and made a gentle bow. "I My Spiky haired friend, am the one and only, the unique and all powerful… Three-Dog!"

------------------------------


	15. Preparations

**Preparations.**

A/N: Sorry for the long delay, been busy with other stuff. Hopefully this makes up for it, Three Dog is always fun.

----------------------------

Once inside GNR, Three-Dog led the pair along with Paladin Hoss up to his broadcast room, John had just asked if he was Three-Dog as they entered.

"Ah yes, I am Three-Dog, and my tall and rather menacing looking friend here is Paladin Hoss."

John nodded to them, not really wanting to shake the hand of the Brotherhood knight in his power armor. Paladin Hoss had taken his helmet off showing a face that had obviously seen much combat. A scar ran down his cheek from his lip, leaving a very noticeable bald spot along his stubbled chin. His brown eyes and black hair contrasted highly against his pale skin. John wondered just how long he'd been in his armor.

Alicia looked to Three-Dog, and raised an eyebrow. "You're three-dog? Hmm."

Three Dog cocked his head, his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark aviators. "Aw. Was Cutie expecting something else?" He turned to John. "And what about Spiky? Does the latest addition to the wastes have claws too?? His voice feigned offense, obviously he was used to ridicule.

John shrugged, and rolled his eyes "Not really, although I'd like to know how you found out about our… escapades."

Paladin Hoss grunted. "Then you'll wanna talk to me. We've been keeping tabs on all Enclave Outposts and when you guys took that one out… well I felt the Wasteland needed to know those bastards aren't invulnerable."

Alicia was pissed, John had spent about a week with her so far and had learned to let her vent. "So you announce to the world that we're out there and have Enclave Tech? Do you have any idea how many Talon Merc fuckheads we've had to dodge to get even here?"

Hoss growled softly, unsure of how to react. "You're here. That's what matters. And in anycase, what the hell are you doing here anyway? Lyons sent word that you were searching for your friend."

John put his hand on Alicia's forearm, a silent signal to let him talk. "That's right, and pretty much everyone said to talk to you…" he pointed to Three-Dog who had been watching the altercation with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed. "… because you're the most likely to know where the hell the Enclave is based."

Three-Dog raised his eyebrows, thoroughly surprised. "You're not serious are you? You're actually thinking of trying to take on Eden and his fascist storm troopers?"

John nodded once, and cocked his head in mockery of Three-Dogs earlier move. "Yeah, I am serious. I'm one of the most dangerous men you'll probably ever meet, and I've been _really_ frustrated the past few days what with dodging giant crabs, stepping on roaches the size of dogs, and killing a dozen huge mutant monsters that were way too interested in eating my arms than I'm comfortable!" His voice rose as he continued, the adrenaline from the earlier combat still flowing through his veins. Alicia this time held him back, surprised by how angry John was.

Three-Dog furrowed his brow for a moment, then cracked a smile and started laughing. "Hahaha! Yes! By god someone up there likes me! You two are gonna be the next best thing to the Lone Wanderer!"

Now John was the one who was confused. "The hell are you talking about?"

Three-Dog smiled a wide smile. His only slightly yellowish teeth were something of a Novelty to John and Alicia who hadn't seen a nice pair of teeth since they crashed. "I believe you when you say you're serious, but as my good friend Hoss…"

Hoss growed again and shot a glance to Three-Dog. "That's _Paladin_ Hoss, even to you Three-Dog."

Three-Dog chuckled as he continued. "…_Paladin_ Hoss said, The Enclave has been pretty hardcore for the past few weeks. Other than a few isolated encounters, they've pretty much dominated anywhere they land. You two are the first to take em on directly and win. So you're damn right I'm gonna scream it from the rooftops."

John scoffed, and turned away from Three-Dog. He silently cursed the situation and looked back to him, "Alright listen. I really could care less about fighting the Enclave. They shot first, so I'm shooting back twice as hard. It has nothing to do with my morals or what side I'm choosing. Elder Lyons told me his side of the score and I respect that, but I'm not here to be a 'saint of the wastes'."

Alicia nodded, agreeing with her commanding officer. "We're just looking for our friend. And we heard you're the man who can help us find him."

Three Dog seemed to lose a bit of the smile on his face, but kept his charming demeanor. "You know, I can respect that, Everybody's got different goals, and different ways of getting to them. What interests me about you two is ya pretty much dropped in from out of nowhere, and actually manage to take out an Enclave Outpost when even Brotherhood knights haven't done that."

John noted that Paladin Hoss growled slightly. From what Elder Lyons had told him, Three Dog wasn't kidding. "So since you can 'respect' that, how about you give us a direction we can shoot towards?"

Three Dog chuckled softly, and wobbled his head back and forth. "Wish I could, but alls I got is small outposts marked out. I _could_ jerry rig something to track em down… _but_…"

John almost smacked his forehead, the earlier battle had already frustrated him and now Three-Dog was getting on his frayed nerves. "Lemme Guess, you want us to do something in exchange?"

Three-Dog smiled widely again, and his body language showed that of someone impressed. "Hot damn! Spiky is_ sharp!_ God I wish there were more of you around."

Now John couldn't take it anymore, Alicia moved in and held his arm from raising and punching Three-Dog, but she could feel the tension even through the armor. She squeezed him hard enough to get his attention and with her facial expression told him to calm down. John ignored it for a moment, but then realizing she was right backed down.

Three-Dog had completely missed the moment, having turned around to grab something on his table. He came back and handed a notepad to them. "Here! That's the location of a larger Enclave Outpost. I've been trying to get Paladin Hoss man here to go and get what I need, but he's not willing to risk any of his men."

Alicia spoke, seeing that John had finally lost his temper and would likely get into a dangerous verbal argument. "What you need? What do you mean 'what you need?' "

Three-Dog smiled, and moved over to his broadcasting computer. He spoke as he worked on it . "Ah… you see, my radio station is loud, free, and clear, Plenty of people listen to it but there's a whole mess'a people who listen to Enclave Radio. You haven't been outside downtown have ya?"

John shook his head, but remained silent. Alicia spoke for him seeing that John had clenched his jaw shut in anger. "No… We saw it but haven't been there."

Three-Dog growled, showing for the first time aggression. "Eden's stormtroopers are in force out there. Not too many of them downtown because of our friends here in the Brotherhood, not to mention the Super mutants. In a way it's almost useful, they're really hittin' raiders hard, but the average hard working folk are gettin' it just as bad. And I've gotten reports of executions and mass cleansing operations."

John sighed, and pumped his fists as he tried not to think about it. "You still haven't gotten to the part where you tell us what you want in exchange."

Three-Dog held his hands up trying to calm John down. "Whoa there… I was just getting to that. What's happening is that a lot of people are thinking the Enclave are gonna save the world, when all they're really doing is burning everything that ain't theirs. So I've been trying to figure out where they're coming from, but without the frequency codes and an enclave transmitter…"

Alicia rubbed her forehead, deducing much like John had what they were being asked do to. "So you want us to steal it for you?"

Three-Dog smiled. "Consider it a fair trade for the good fight."

------------------------------------

"Hrmmm… you sure you know what you're doing?"

Rodney spat acid. "Of course I know what I'm doing! I've been putting together far more sophisticated pieces of machinery since I was a child!"

Darrows shrugged, and tried to keep still as Rodney worked on his power armor from behind. "I'm just saying, I'm guessing you haven't dealt with Power Armor much."

Rodney sighed emphatically. "Not specifically no, but I built a nuclear reactor when I was in my teens so a little fusion micropack like this is childs play for me now."

Darrows turned his head in shock. "You built a nuke when you were a _Kid!?_"

Rodney shrugged off the surprised look. "Yes yes! Old news to me, and looking around this place, old news here too."

Darrows grumbled, perhaps he'd underestimated this man's intelligence. "Well… it's not everyday someone comes out of nowhere and knows enough to put Dr Manning in shock."

Rodney grunted as he finished the last connection, and powered up the Tesla Power Armor's capacitor. "Ah, there we go. Should give you some extra protection from laser and plasma." He got up and leaned on the side of the table. "So you know Dephany."

Darrows nodded, and putting his helmet on, began a diagnostic. "Yeah… most of the guys know her. Kinda hard to miss when a foxy lady is smarter than you."

Rodney smiled, feeling a bit more comfortable with this man. "Yes well… I'm smarter than her so…" He cocked his head. "Everything alright in that tin can?"

Darrows finished the diagnostic, and nodded. "Yep, computer says Tesla absorbers are working at 120%... that's pretty good."

Rodney scoffed, and looked around the mechanic bay they were in to see the rest of the suits of armor lying about. "Yes well… no offense but most of your technology is pretty brutish, almost as if it were too high tech for the knowledge base."

Darrows took his helmet off again and set it on the table. "Say what? Speak English Doc. I'm sharp tongued, not witted."

Rodney couldn't help but laugh. This Alan Darrows guy could be an interesting companion. "Ha! Well… imagine a rocket engine in a wooden missile. That's basically what I see when I look at your technology."

Darrows grumbled. "I think I should feel offended, but I really could care less…" He flexed his armor about a bit, trying the newly lubricated joints out and enjoying the freedom. "Alright Doc. You kept you end of the bargain, now mine, what'd you want me to do?"

Rodney nodded, and rubbed his hands on a dirty towel trying to get the thermopaste off his hands. He'd need to get some alcohol to wash it completely, but for the moment it was fine. "Yes… I'm looking for 2 of my friends out there. I've given descriptions to President Eden but I'd be more reassured if I at least knew someone was looking for them."

Darrows sighed. "So you're asking me to go look for them…?"

Rodney shook his head. "I'm asking you to help _me_ look for them. God knows I'd probably walk into a deathclaw nest or something out there on my own."

Darrows narrowed his eyes. "Are you serious? You're willing to go out there without really knowing what's out there just to find them?"

Rodney shrugged, almost as if he were offended. "Well… Yes! I'm sure they're doing the same for me… if they're not hurt or kidnapped or something…"

Darrows sighed dejectedly. "You seem pretty sure they'd be looking…"

Rodney couldn't grasp what Darrows was saying. "Yes! I am! They've done it god knows how many times for me and I think it's high time I did it for them. I've got a few things to do before I set out but I'm hoping you were serious when you said you'd help me.

Darrows growled, deep in thought. "You say they've done it for you before… If you tell me what's going on, and explain what all the hush hush is about… Yeah I'll do it." He saw Rodney become reticent, and added. "Don't worry, you don't become an Enclave Officer without the ability to keep a few secrets."

Rodney looked at him, and realized he was telling the truth. Maybe this way he could get not only some well armed backup in his search, but some straight answers for once about what the Enclave truly wants.

-----------------------------------------

"That was some nice shooting out there. Don't see many wastelanders who know how to handle a rocket launcher like that."

John nodded to the Brotherhood knight sitting in front of him. It wasn't a big deal to him but apparently these knights valued combat skills above almost all else. "Well… not exactly my first time using something like that."

Another knight, this one without a helmet looked to Alicia. "That you with the sniper rifle?"

Alicia smiled, a smile John now knew was her way of getting what she wanted. "Yep. added a few notches today savin' yer asses."

The knight grunted ,then laughed. "Ha! Colvin'd love you. Lyon's Pride love their snipers."

John rolled his eyes and took a sip of his nuka-cola. "Colvin and for that matter, the rest of the pride already know us. Kodiak gave me a little training with your heavy weapons while 'Cutie' here worked with Colvin and Sarah."

The knight smiled and nodded. "Damn, well if today was any clue, I'll have to keep my eye on you."

Before they could continue the conversation, Paladin Hoss arrived and waved his men off. They all got up and scurried away, leaving the leader alone with the two Lanteans. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"

John sighed, and cracking his knuckles as he curled his fist nodded. "We're leaving tonight under the cover of dark. We should be able to get there by morning. Not really much other choice we have."

Paladin Hoss grumbled and leaned forward. "You're gonna need help. The outpost you took out was a small one. This one is more than twice the size."

John kept his calm. "Don't really have a choice though do we? Either we take our chances and attack… or forget about our friend and just try and survive this hellhole."

Alicia kept silent throughout the whole thing, She was impressed by John's determination to find McKay, but survival was a part of her thoughts as well. She wasn't about to let him go alone though.

Paladin Hoss took his helment off, and set it on the table. "Look. It's okay to be selfish sometimes. I know you care about your friend. You wouldn't be here if you didn't. But super mutants are one thing, The Enclave are trained, heavily armed, and they have plenty of technologies we simply don't have."

John set his drink down and leaned in as well, completely unafraid of the man in the power armor. "Listen to me. I've spent the last week trying to wrap my head around this place. And you know what? I can't. So unless you're going to help me find my friend, you can just fuck off and wait for us here in this not so safe bunker."

Paladin Hoss raised an eyebrow, something John wasn't expecting. His voice was steely, and his fists curled and whined as the armor moved. "Alright. You're gonna need bigger guns if we want any chance of taking them out."

Both John and Alicia were surprised, but Alicia liked the idea of a bigger gun. "What'd you have in mind?"


	16. The Parrot and the Falcon

**The Parrot and the Falcon.**

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_A/N: Guess who's who in the title. :P_

_Also, I've decided to implement stuff that comes in the FOOK mod for Fallout 3 simply because I refuse to believe that Enclave Power armor can be taken down with cheap assault rifles like in the game, and I also refuse to have one man able to carry twenty 2L bottle sized rockets with no weight penalty! Plus the energy weapons in FOOK are badass! (they'll come in later) Primarily this will really only affect weapons and armors, but a few other little changes will be noticed and I'll mention them as they come along at the bottom of the chapter._

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"Uhh.. remind me again how much more advanced this thing is than us?"

Darrows was scratching the paint off the Jumper with his finger nails, Rodney was underneath the Dash working diligently. "Oh something like comparing your plasma rifle to that piece of junk popgun they gave me in the tunnels."

Darrows chuckled, and knocked the alloy with his power armored fist. "Doesn't seem all that advanced from this end to be honest… You say a vertibird shot you down?"

Rodney grumbled as he finished the last connection. "Well they did get the drop on us. We didn't fire back since we had no idea who we were dealing with."

Darrows narrowed his eyes. "What kind of weapons would a little thing like this have anyways?"

Rodney was about to answer, but noticing the technician nearby eavesdropping decided to keep quiet about certain things. "Well you know… I don't think it would be appropriate for me to give your people _too_ much technology too fast. My people call that rule the 'Prime Directive'. I mean, all I really know is the Enclave on this planet and Dr Manning said that you're only like 6% of the population."

Darrows snorted. "Ha, leave it to the foxy doc to spill that little tidbit." He knelt down next to Rodney and looked into the mess of wires. "Jog my memory Rod, why are you working on this? Our guys have already gone over it and from what they told me it's broke so there's no point fixing it."

Rodney grunted as he pulled out the control crystal from the dash. Without it, there really was no way the Enclave would be able to get the ship running. "I'm not fixing it, I'm trying to get the main computer processor unit to synchronize with the PDA Tablet I procured from the storage compartment so I can photomemorize the quantum harmonizer to insert it in the photonic resonance chamber."

Darrows, not wanting to appear _too_ stupid, simply smiled and nodded to Rodney's inane technobabble despite wanting to tell him to shove said Quantum Harmonizer up _his_ photonic resonance chamber. Rodney on the other hand was glad to finally have military backup that didn't have a degree in theoretical mathematics and could see right through his bull. Then again, Darrows while sarcastic as most soldiers, didn't hold the same place in Rodney's esteem as Sheppard.

It wouldn't be too much longer until Rodney had what he needed. If he did leave this base, he wasn't going to leave the Jumper in any real shape for them to reverse engineer. Thankfully the technology was well above their level of understanding, and while he would give them the basics of a few technologies to bargain his way out, nothing that would really tip the scales of power would remain. In any case, it was clearly apparent that the Enclave held technological superiority over pretty much the entire wasteland except for the so-called Brotherhood raiders.

He decided to stall for time to see if Darrows would answer any straighter than Dephany did about what the Enclave did. "So hey, don't just stand there like an idiot because I know you aren't. Tell me about the Enclave."

Darrows scoffed again. "Careful Doc, I might just start to like you."

---------------------------------

"Here are the best maps we have available on the surrounding area."

John and Alicia were tired, but with Paladin Hoss already anteing up his end of the bargain, they figured an hour or two of planning wasn't remiss.

John went over the maps and the reported location of the Enclave outpost. It was well to the north in teh wasteland and relatively close to some place called 'Canterbury Commons'. John didn't really care unless something drew him there, so he kept to the point. "Looks pretty barren. Not much cover."

Hoss grunted in agreement. "It's a medium sized outpost. 3 or 4 guards, 1 or 2 officers. The scouts that returned say it's a popular trade route and they've been stopping people and confiscating their weapons. Not that I consider an old tree branch with a nail in it much of a weapon."

Alicia snorted in laughter. "Ask this guy, first muties we fought played a little baseball with him."

John rolled his eyes, and absentmindedly rubbed the dent in his chest armor plate. "Moving on… from what we saw at that other outpost they had some pretty strong wall fortifications around the main area. We managed to get the drop on them by using a nearby building for cover and laying a heavy explosives trap. Even so that power armor of theirs kept em alive till I got up close and personal."

Hoss sighed. "Yeah, their armor is different than anything I've seen before. Elder Lyons sent us all the information he could on our prior engagement with the Enclave, but even then it wasn't us who actually took them out."

Alicia furrowed her brow and leaned in. "Elder Lyons wasn't too clear on that actually. He mentioned someone he called "The Chosen One." "

Hoss chuckled, and waved his hand dismissing it. "Ancient history. Let's just say heroes can come from anywhere. Even a backwater tribe."

John raised an eyebrow. "Now that sounds like a hell of a bedtime story. Might have to ask Lyons if I ever see him again." He chuckled glad to see that Hoss was a little human after all. "Alright, so since a frontal assault would be horribly painful suicide, this is gonna be all tactics… Which reminds me, where are those weapons you said you'd be bringing?"

Hoss grunted, and hooked his thumb over to where his knights had plopped down a pair of heavy cases. "They've been here since you walked in. Take a look."

He opened the crate with his foot, exposing a pristine looking weapon underneath. John couldn't help but notice it looked rather similar to a weapon from his own world. "The hell? Is that a heavy machine gun?"

Hoss nodded, and motioned for John to take it. "We reserve em only for Paladins and Lyon's Pride. But since this is a _special_ operation… well you look like you could handle this baby."

John picked up the weapon, it was a fair amount heavier than the old assault rifle he had, but the weapon looked a lot more lethal. "This is heavier than it looks, what kind of ammo is this?"

Hoss smiled slyly. "Depleted Uranium. But it'll take the same bullets your old rifle does so you can save those for hard targets. The important part is this." He tapped on the front barrel of the rifle, where a box like compartment had some wires sticking out. "It's been designed specifically for use against heavily armored targets, a magnetic accelerator pulses at the same speed as the rate of fire, so it gives it that extra little boost you need to crack open a tin can."

John was impressed. "I like… I like it a lot. What about Cutie here?"

Alicia gave him a light smack on the arm, but smiled at the thought of a better weapon. "I'd be safe in assuming you got me something a little lighter?"

Hoss chuckled roughly, and opened the next case. A very long, and surprisingly threatening looking weapon was held inside. "Same design only sniper variant,. The barrel's huge but it uses half inch armor piercing rounds. You'll go through most power armor in and out with this baby like cheese, but I'll warn ya now, Recoils a complete and utter bitch without power armor."

Alicia meanwhile was in love. "Yeah? Well so am I."

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"Hmm…so… the Enclave is what's left of the original military infrastructure?"

Darrows was sitting on the side of the Jumper, watching outside the aft hatch as more troops and vertibirds landed and took off. Rodney's questions were relatively simple, and the history lessons he'd gotten in his youth. "Pretty much, a lot of our original leaders were generals, politicians, and a few of our top scientists."

Rodney narrowed his eyes. "So they were in a bunker or something when the bombs hit?"

Darrows shrugged. "In a way. Most of the older guys around here including me come from an old offshore base on the West Coast. I was only a kid back then but I remember getting shoved into a vertibird and hauling ass outta there. Never did find out exactly why but Raven Rock is certainly a lot better."

Rodney was still confused. "So wait… President Eden said the Brotherhood raiders are what's left of a rogue part of your original army… but that's over 200 years ago! Have you been fighting ever since?"

Darrows shook his head. "Nah, for the most part the Enclave has been in bunkers for the past 200 years. To be honest history ain't my strong suit, but I know we've only been out in the open for about 20 or 30 years. Most of those I've been training, and only a few weeks ago did I actually enter combat."

Rodney scratched his head, and leaned on the side of the jumper while washing his hands. "Really? So… what'd you do?"

"Hmmm? Do where?"

"A few weeks ago. You said you only actually started combat a few weeks ago. What'd you combat?"

The question caught Darrows off-guard. But he shrugged and answered how he best thought. "Uhh… well… I led a squad of men in a vertibird to secure the perimeter around Project Purity. There were a bunch of squatters but we managed to get them out pretty fast. I'd have stayed there but they've fortified it enough that I got recalled."

Rodney remembered what he saw at Project Purity. "What happened to the squatters?"

Darrows scratched his sideburns in contemplation. "There were some mutants, we took em down pretty quickly, but some Brotherhood were there as well and put up a fight. We lost 12 men out of our 20 man squad, but we secured the objective. That's what counts."

Rodney froze instantly. "12 men!? And that's _normal!?_"

Darrows shrugged. "Against muties and bro-hos? Sure. This is war, you either shoot first or die first."

Rodney dropped his hands, raised them in argument, thought better of it, then came up with the perfect way to express his confusion. "What kind of military thinks losing sixty percent of a force is _acceptable_ losses!?"

Darrows looked at Rodney in confusion. "What? Of course it's acceptable. We won."

Rodney still couldn't comprehend it. "You _won!? _But what's the point of winning if you're all dead!?"

Darrows finally understood. Rodney had never known true war. "I guess it's a soldier thing. Don't your people have wars?"

Rodney tugged on his hair. "Of course we do! But we don't think sixty percent casualty rate is acceptable!"

Darrows leaned forward. "Your people sound so strange… how can you fight a war if you're not willing to lose people?"

Rodney tried to come up with some way to explain it. "No no no… you're not understanding me… Of course in a war we're bound to lose people. But we work to create technology, and different defensive and offensive systems to lower the casualty rate to it's absolute minimum, while still achieving victory!"

Ironically, Rodney had heard something similar to this from Sheppard when they were playing Command and Conquer and Rodney couldn't understand how his massive tank rushes were defeated by John's tactical use of air power and support weapons. The stats at the end of the game clearly showed that Rodney, while being a pestering nuisance for the majority of the game, had lost exponentially more men and materials that Sheppard had.

Darrows leaned forward now, quietly assessing Rodney. "So you don't try and eradicate your enemies?"

Rodney shrugged indecisively. "Well that depends on the type of enemy. I'm really not the one to talk about this. Once we find Sheppard I'm sure you two will have oodles to talk about."

Darrows shrugged his shoulders yet again, and whacked on the side of the Jumper with his powered fist. "This Sheppard guy sounds like my kinda…" as he whacked a third time, the hidden compartment Rodney was hoping stayed hidden broke open, and a pair of Wraith stunners fell down onto Darrows. He was momentarily confused, but picking the weapon up he looked at Rodney expectantly. "Uhh… I'm guessing these are the _advanced_ weapons you didn't want to talk about earlier?"

Rodney made a shit-eating grin. "Umm… not exactly…"

---------------------------------------------

Alicia locked the door to the room, and dragged the heavy cabinet in front of it. John chuckled as he lay on the bed and stretched his arms, "The hell are you doing?"

Alicia snorted angrily and cursed the cabinet in spanish before replying. " _puta cabron... _Uhh..Begging yer pardon sir… A little help?"

John sat up and kept laughing. "And miss the show?"

She made a highly annoyed sound, and John knew better than to push it, he got up and brushing her aside, dragged the cabinet with much more ease to the door. "You don't trust these guys?"

Alicia shook her head. "Not in the slightest, at least not outside of combat."

John shrugged, and shook his head as he stretched his now tight fingers. "For some reason I doubt these guys will try anything. I'd be willing to bet half of them haven't even thought about it seeing how strict the Brotherhood is."

Alicia sat down, and stretched her neck from side to side. "That's easy for you to say sir… you don't have a hooha and tatas."

John instantly snorted and held his fist to his mouth to keep from cracking up. Even as he sat on the opposite side of the bed he couldn't help it and traces of his laugh crept out. Alicia smacked him on the arm, rolling her eyes at his immaturity. He tried to control himself and tried to look at her seriously. "You so did not just say…"

Upon seeing the serious expression in her eyes he cracked again and fell onto the bed laughing uncontrollably. Alicia finally let go of her frustration and snickered as well. "Alright alright… yeah it was kinda funny. I just didn't want to use more… _dirty words_."

John wiped the tear of joy forming in his right eye and sighed contentedly. "Oh man… I'm gonna remember that one for awhile… it's so hard to imagine a cold blooded sniper using words like that."

She grabbed the pillow underneath her arm and smacked him with it. "You keep that up and you'll see just how cold blooded I can be!": She still smiled, and after a few moments shut the lamp off to the room.

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_A/N: a little short, but plenty of needed exposition. (and some comical moments)_

_John's new rifle is basically a somewhat realistic way of upgrading his weapon, without actually changing ammo. In the FOOK mod it's the HA 70 Heavy Assault Rifle. (High tech assault rifle, looks wicked bad)_

_Alicia's new sniper is basically an M82 Barret Anti-Material rifle (the rifle used to kill vehicles from about 2 kilometers away :)_

_To give an impression of the next few chapters. Think of John and Alicia in Mad Max or Escape from New York/Los Angeles… and Rodney in Abbot and Costello vs the Mummy :P_

_Thanks for reading, and don't worry! I'm working on this!_


	17. Another Untitled Chapter

**A/N:**_ Can't think of a title for this chapter... but at least Rodney is almost ready to enter the wastes _

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Rodney breathed a sigh of relief as Darrows explained to the technicians who came to inspect the Wraith stunners that Rodney had offered them. It meant it was unlikely Colonel Autumn was going to feed him to a Deathclaw like the leader of the Meresti Vampire people had been. Once the Technicians were gone Darrows look to him silently.

"Why… why'd you do that?"

Darrows growled softly. "You say they're stunning weapons. The Enclave doesn't have much use for that. Why get you into trouble over useless crap?" He sat down again on the side of the Jumper, his power armor whining as it folded. "I might not be a scientist, but if you lied about their strength, we'll know soon enough so it doesn't matter."

Rodney gulped, and decided to be a little more honest in order to keep his head on. "Yes well… thank you… I was being serious in that they're not really deadly… I've been shot in the face with one and all it did was paralyze me for a few hours."

Darrows chuckled. "I'da paid to see that." He smiled and then sighed. "So what's the plan? You say this thing's busted so how you wanna start looking for your friends?"

Rodney was a little surprised by how much this Enclave Lieutenant was trusting him. He must have some ulterior motive but for now it wasn't apparent. "Well… I was thinking. We got shot down near Project Purity. I'm sure we could hitch a ride down there in one of those fancy choppers. I promised I'd make some modifications anyway and it would put us pretty close to where my friends might be."

Darrows growled softly. "That's a warzone down there. The only secure place we have is the memorial. If the Brotherhood weren't bad enough, the Super Mutant freaks love the abandoned buildings to hide in."

Rodney visibly cringed. "Oh… well we have guns… and maybe I can get one of those snazzy power armors? If we try and stay out of fights we might possibly be able to find them and well… this'll all be over much faster and quickly and much less bloody than it's probably going to."

Darrows chuckled. "Calm down, I didn't say no. They won't give you power armor… but I might be able to convince them to give you something a little tougher than that police armor we got you already. I'll have to go over it with my commanding officer. But if you do fix that Project Purity gizmo…. Maybe."

Rodney smiled, finally he was moving forward. "Great! I'll go to the lab and get Dephany to assemble all the materials we'll need!"

As Darrows got up he smiled with obvious flirtatiousness. "So we're gonna be traveling with the Doc? Mmm… this just gets better and better…"

Rodney suddenly realized with startling horror that Darrows wasn't like Sheppard at all. Darrows chased the ladies, while the Ladies chased Sheppard.

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"Lead the way, But I'd rather not fight anymore zombie freaks of nature if it's possible."

Paladin Hoss chuckled, and hoisting the heavy Minigun onto his back, along with a full backpack of ammo that gave him about 10 minutes of continuous fire, moved gracefully despite his ludicrious stature in the power armor. "What? Scared of a Ghouly or two? That gun would shred em to pieces."

Alicia visibly shuddered. "Even so, let's try and steer clear of them."

Hoss kept chuckling mindlessly, but walked along the path leading away from GNR. They followed the same path John and Alicia had taken to come in, and Hoss took the time to police the ammo off the fallen super mutants. He was impressed that they'd been able to take so many of them out, and particularly with the one who Alicia had shot through the eye.

It wasn't long before they were back where they'd started. At the tunnel near a large statue of a man holding a giant ring. The tunnels were still clear from having traversed them the day before, and with their new weapons it was unlikely anyone with half a brain would target them.

Of course, Raiders were notoriously brain dead.

John felt the smack of the bullet against his shoulder and the other 3 fly by his face. He rolled with the hit, groaning from the impact against his armor and rolled to the side behind a trash can. "Contact!"

Paladin Hoss growled over his loudspeaker, and unslung his minigun. "Time to Percolate…"

Alicia pulled her Plasma Rifle out and stayed on the stairs using the slant for cover. She yelled to John. "You alright sir!?"

John groaned as he shook the daze from his eyes, and racked the first round into his new rifle. "Better than these raider dicks are gonna be!"

Further conversation was muted as Hoss thumbed down the triggers to his Minigun, and thunderous suppressive fire rained out turning the area in front of him into bullet chewed goop.

The Raiders weren't expecting a Brotherhood paladin, and the three of them quickly tried to fall back even as they were torn apart from the barrage of fire.

John aimed quickly, and with a zoom sight on his rifle it was an easy task to aim for the center of mass, and put a surprisingly accurate burst into the further Raider who was most likely to escape.

Alicia didn't hold back either, and leading her target carefully, a female raider who suddenly screamed that she didn't want to die and ran as hard as she could, pressed the trigger down without remorse. The plasma bolt flew out and connected, causing a searing wound to form on the raider's unarmored shoulder knocking her down.

Alicia got up and fired twice more, now feeling just a tad disgusted at the green goop that was left of the Raider.

It was a quick skirmish, and none of them had been hurt, But John grunted as Hoss and Alicia regrouped. "Why the hell am I the only one who ever takes fire?"

Alicia smirked and deadpanned. "Pretty sure it's the hair sir. Kinda reflective."

John shother a hostile gaze, but seeing the obvious sarcasm scoffed. "You're just jealous."

Hoss chuckled, and Alicia snickered as John ran his fingers through his hair. "You two are freaks. No wonder Three-Dog loves ya."

John rolled his eyes, and looking at the map on his pipboy pointed north. "Alright, we should head up this way for a few kilometers, then turn north west for Canterbury Commons. Hopefully we'll make it there before nightfall. We'll plan out our strategy once we're there."

Hoss grumbled, he wasn't the kind of man who usually took orders, But they made sense, and Alicia quickly stepped into line. "Alright… lead the way."

John began to walk, wished for any kind of vehicle for the umptybillionth time since they'd crashed, and silently prayed that nothing bad would happen.

His prayer must have been mishandled, as no more than a few hundred feet north now underneath a giant concrete highway, they came under fire from a pair of female raiders. John didn't hesitate this time and spinning around, put them both down with bursts from his heavy assault rifle.

The gun was heavy, but the magnetic propulsor on the front gave it a serious punch. John wasn't surprised that they only reserved it for the better trained soldiers. Hoss and Alicia kept behind him as they moved, and soon they reached the river again.

Hoss muttered as he slowed down. "Stay away from the edge of the river. Lurk hunters and kings are usually around this area."

John furrowed his brow as he looked at the river. "I know what the hunters are… hell we ate one our first day here, but kings?"

Hoss kept his distance, and the Minigun in his hands edged closer and closer to the river with a few odd ripples going across it. "Creep the fuck out of me. Look almost human but… scaly. I'd steer clear of eating lurks out here. Raiders usually toss their victims in the river to fatten em up."

John had already assumed that, or at the very least that it was perfectly possible some of what he'd already eaten had previously eaten human. Hence his tendency to try and eat smaller, less man-eating capable creatures like squirrels.

But Alicia hadn't considered it, and with her face turning ever so slightly neon green she turned around and puked at the very mention of it.

John winced as he saw her keel over from the shock, and was glad he'd secured plenty of the squirrel meat before he left GNR. Hoss chuckled cruelly and kept a watchful eye on the river.

Putting his arms around her to steady her, John picked Alicia up and used a little towel he'd gotten to wipe her mouth. "Uhh… I guess you'll be wanting to get rid of all that food in your backpack."

She got wide eyed and quickly dug into her pack. "Oh god… i'm never gonna eat again…"

John patted her on the shoulder and offered his canteen. She quickly took it, gargled, spit, then took a few small sips. She handed the canteen back and tried to compose herself. She tossed the few pieces of lurk meat she had left out and onto the floor. Hoss murmured as he watched. "Good call, only lurk I ever eat comes from that crazy old lady a few klicks south of here. Her boys feed the lurks rats and shit so it's less likely I'll… well. You know."

Alicia had already tossed it all out, deciding never to eat Mirelurk ever again. "Nope, not buying it. Never eating it again."

John snorted, and looking off in the distance he could barely make out something that looked like a highway in the direction they needed to go. "You're lucky I've got plenty'a rat you can eat."

Alicia didn't look too much happier with that idea.

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"Ummm…"

"Oh come on! I came with you when you left this place? Isn't it only fair that you should come with me now that I'm leaving this place? Besides, I'm heading to Project Purity and I'm sure I could… use your… help there once we… get there."

Rodney was trying his best to convince Dr Manning to come with them to Project Purity. He'd found her to a a little easier than most others to convince he was right, and since most of the soldiers respected her orders, it would be good to have her around.

The good doctor didn't seem to be that interested, but more out of fear than disinterest. "No… no that's okay Rodney… I'm needed here anyways since I'm really the only physicist here and we're still trying to implement the improvements you've made to our weapons and armor."

She smiled politely, and Rodney couldn't help but notice it was shockingly similar to the smile Sam would give him when she wanted him to go away. But this Dephany Manning was nothing compared to Sam.

"What? Oh come on, there are plenty of other people who can figure it out. I've been working on this with you since the start! I don't want to go if you're not coming with me!"

He hoped that was something Sheppard would say. God, it was so frustrating to have to juggle his feelings on the matter. Darrows had told him a little more about the Enclave than Dephany had, and it was obvious that there was way more going on than just reclaiming the wasteland.

Dephany shrugged around a bit, and seemed to recede into her labcoat. "I know I know… it's just… god Rodney, how can you go back out there after what happened?"

Rodney still ached a bit, the plastaskin stuff they'd attached to him had quite literally become a part of him, as if it were his own skin. He felt like taking sample back to Jennifer so she could study it. "Of course! Once we're done with Project Purity, I'm going to go look for my friends. That Liuetenant Darrows guy offered to escort me and I'm taking him up on the offer…"

Truth be told, he only wanted her to come along so it didn't seem like he just wanted to run away. While they _had_ told him he was free to leave, after looking at some maps the closest place that might have people still living there was a place called Paradise Falls, and Rodney had little if any intention of meeting Slavers.

So he needed as much help as possible, and now, as he put his hand on Dephany's shoulder, he tried to summon all the instances he ever saw Sheppard or Lorne sweet talk someone into doing something. "I… uhh… well you see I don't know a lot of people around here… I mean… most of the soldiers look at me like I'm some weird diplomat who doesn't even speak the same language. The scientists either worship me or resent me…. And well… I wanted to you to come so…"

Dephany, who's face was turned away, turned over at Rodney's touch. "… really?"

Rodney squeezed her shoulders, thought of Jennifer, then sighed. "well… yeah."

Dephany turned around and took Rodney's hand. The look in her eyes showed that she was torn. "I.. I'll have to think about it… give me a day?"

Rodney wanted to leave, NOW. But he figured one more day wasn't going to ruin any of his plans, and besides, he still needed to see if Darrows could get him some form of protection from the giant gila monsters of this land. "Ummm… ok. That shouldn't be a problem. That Darrows fellow is coming too so we'll be… safe."

Her half smile made Rodney feel just a little guilty. Of course after the whole fiasco of nearly getting him killed and torturing him, He wasn't THAT guilty.

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The crack of the rifle had all three of them dive for cover. A scream of pain came, then more cracks of gunfire.

Hoss, in his power armor, ducked behind a broken husk of a car and tried to find where the shot had come from, but John and Alicia noted instantly that they weren't the target.

"Sir! It came from up there! I'd guess two pylons ahead."

John leaned out from the broken concrete slab he was hiding behind and took a gander. He couldn't see anyone and decided to move forward. "Alright… stay here with Hoss, I'm gonna check it out."

Alicia didn't want to split up, but after a moment she nodded. "Alright… Hoss! Hold position!"

Hoss growled and stood up with his minigun. "And he complains about getting shot…"

John brushed off the obvious sarcasm and in a crouch, moved ahead. He kept low and darted from cover to cover. Fallen cars and broken pieces of the highway littered the floor, and despite carrying the heavy rifle, he'd left his pack on the floor near Alicia and Hoss so he could move quickly.

It wasn't long before he could make out the sounds of what sounded like a machete. A few people were laughing and John didn't like the sound of it.

He opened the door to the shattered husk of the car he was hiding behind and using the other side door as cover, peered out. John nearly was sick at what he was seeing.

A trio of what looked like heavily armed and decently armored raiders were hacking away at the corpse of another fallen raider. John had been hunting plenty of times with Ronon to know the way to properly skin and strip an animal of it's meat and that's exactly what he was seeing now.

Forget eating something that might have eaten human before, these 3 inhuman monsters were cutting out the middle man. John fought his revulsion, but couldn't get the thought out of his mind that if he didn't do something now, they'd go on and kill more people.

They were laughing, and one of them cackled about the sweetest meat. That was the final straw.

John leaned out on the dashboard and got into a good position. The raiders weren't expecting anything and he was in the perfect position to take em out. A few quick breaths to calm his pulse down, a nice zoom in on the rifle's scope.

They didn't stand a chance, John fired three quick bursts, each tearing through the decent metal armor they wore, bringing them to the ground badly wounded. John felt an urge to just leave them there. Let them bleed out and suffer. But he actively realized that no, he wasn't going to become a monster to kill monsters… so with a long burst, he finished them off in a strafing shot.

He got out of the car. Rob had told him that if he was forced to kill anyone to make sure to loot their medical and ammo supplies. But John didn't even want to go near them lest he catch whatever had gotten them to that point. He neared Alicia and Hoss who both were at th ready.

Alicia's voice was worried. "Sir! We heard gunfire! Are you…?"

John waved his hand, dismissing her concern. "It's nothing… just some rats."

Hoss grunted. "You wasted ammo on rats?"

John didn't want Alicia to see what he'd seen. So he faced Hoss and with an angry voice blunted. "Yeah, rats and a dead guy. Do the math."

They all were silent for a moment. John needed to get as far away from this place as possible. "Let's break off and head north… probably less rats."

Hoss seemingly understood what John was trying to say, and Alicia silently fell into line behind him. In her mind she was seriously considering what she was doing out here… was Dr McKay even still alive? Would Atlantis ever come for them?

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A/N: Anyone ever notice that Mirelurk kings look almost freaking human... and yet you can still eat them? Or that half of the animals you kill and eat are likely eating wastelanders too? (specially yao guai) Ughh.. :P


	18. Allies and Directions

**Allies and Directions**

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A/n: Longish chapter to make up for short ones before. Also a day earlier than i usually post :P

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"Alright Doc, we leave tomorrow morning. After some oh so tense negotiations, and the promise I'll watch out for both of ya if the foxy doc goes, I got ya some better armor just in case."

Rodney forced a smile, it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. "Yes well… let's just hope I don't have to prove it's better by surviving yet another horrible blast… which reminds me, what'd you guys do with my old Kevlar vest?"

Darrows shrugged. "I think it's still down in that tunnel. After you passed out they airlifted you out and started treatment right there in the bird. Why? You miss it?"

Rodney shook his head but felt a little nostalgic. "Well… since I ate my last MRE last night, it was the last thing I really had from where I come from."

Darrows chuckled, and handed Rodney another plate of Mirelurk Cakes. "Well any luck and we'll be downtown this time tomorrow and you can finally tell me where the hell that is. You still sure you wanna go looking?"

Rodney nodded, and quickly began to dig into the cakes with glee. "Yes, Stop asking. Even if I have to do it myself I'm going. And since I've come to actually start to like you somewhat since you're not constantly trying to kill me, I'd appreciate it if you came along as well so I'm not hopelessly lost and end up as lunch for some giant hulk wannabe."

Darrows furrowed his brow and chuckled in bemusement. "Say what?"

Rodney winced, then spoke as he chewed… "That's right… you don't know… you ever have comics on this planet? Picture books that kids read?"

Darrows nodded. "Yeah, most were burned up in the Great War, but there's still a few around. Mostly Grognak the Barbarian."

Rodney chuckled "Grognak? Sounds like Conan…" he silently mused to himself that Ronon would have probably loved this planet despite the many horrible ways of dying. "Anyways, Hulk is actually pretty similar to a Super Mutant in a lot of ways now that I think about it. Except he's not always big green and stupidly strong. He only gets like that when he's angered."

Darrows snorted in laughter. "Sounds like every mutie I've ever wasted. Can't imagine a happy one." He popped the top off a bottle of water and then sighed. "Make sure you bring plenty of food and water. There's little if any pure water out there unless you get the purifier working. And everybody on the base knows you're a little paranoid about radiation."

Rodney's face scrunched in ire. "It's not paranoia! Do you have any idea what radiation can do to a person even at low levels? I'm probably already sterile for life! The worst part is I just got a girlfriend back home who isn't trying to fleece my wallet and now I'll probably never get to spread my intellectual genes!"

Darrows was merciless, his laugh completely unabashed. When he was finished he shook his head idly at Rodney. "You're something else Doc, I'm shocked the Doc hasn't banged you yet."

At this Rodney froze with his fork in midair. Darrows was _much_ too easy about that subject and Rodney felt there was more to it. "Uhh… I think she's tried… but uhh… What? What do you mean you're shocked?"

Darrows shrugged, and looked a bit bemused. "Didn't she give you a genetic screening? Figure out how to best pass it along?"

Rodney furrowed his brow. "What? No… I uhh… I had to go to the infirmary before we got that far…" Rodney tried to veer away from the discussion of having his colon cleaned out. He still didn't feel quite right in his bowels and was on a steady diet of fiber and fluids to keep things running smoothly.

Darrows nodded knowingly. "Ahh.. So you don't know… Ever wonder why the Enclave is still pretty strong and not mutated? We do genetic screening and encourage the better specimens to uhh…" he started chuckling to himself "Propagate."

Rodney was torn between horror, and intrigue. Could he have been a complete and utter stud on this planet because of his brains? "What?! So… wait, you guys actually clean the gene pool by selection?"

Darrows nodded and stretched his arms. Working in Power Armor all day could get harsh on one's muscles. "Yeah… ever since I can remember. Of course we don't stop the other… less pure ones from…" again he chuckled. "Breeding… but we try and make sure the best ones get passed on as widely as possible."

Rodney was utterly amazed. This was out of science fiction, he couldn't help but think of Space Nazis. "So what does the Enclave consider… more genetically superior?"

Darrows hooked his thumb to himself. "Yours truly for one. Apparently I've got above average physique and my little soldiers can grow up to be big badass soldiers."

Rodney couldn't help but cringe at the visual image he had. But then it got worse when he thought of Dr Manning. "What about Dephany? Don't brains count?"

Darrows smiled knowingly. "Ahh… so you are alive! Here I was thinkin you were some whipped nerd." He chuckled again, all to easily. "Yeah the Foxy Doc's high on the list. She's had some of her eggs stored and every few years they incubate em with some dude's juice." He shuddered a bit. "Creepy if you ask me, but I get why they do it. I'm jus glad I'm one hundred percent home grown all natural!"

Rodney's mind went from science fiction to science horror. Genetic screening was one thing, but actual engineering? Growing humans?! He fought his revulsion for the sake of his safety.

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"_Civilization… I'll stay right here…!" _

Alicia tried to resist aiming the heavy sniper rifle at Hoss and shooting, but John noticed she slowly nudged the barrel closer to Hoss at every opportunity. If they didn't need the Paladin for direction and backup, he might even shoot the singing man himself.

It was by far THE most annoying thing he'd ever heard. Hoss may have been a bit of a warrior, but his singing voice left much to be desired.

They were almost to Canterbury Commons, each tired and weary of the journey. Alicia had taken to getting some practice with the heavy rifle and sighted in towards the hilltop city when she spotted something. Smoke rising from an ancient destroyed intersection. "Sir, you might wanna take a look at this."

John knelt down and shielded his eyes from the setting sun. Hoss moved in himself and covered the two of them with his minigun as they lay on top of the rock outcropping.

John sighted in using the Sniper Rifle, and gasped softly. "What the hell? Hoss, you know of any Enclave outpost south of Canterbury Commons?" The outpost John saw through the scope looked deserted, and what looked like gun emplacements were smoking wrecks now.

Hoss grumbled in a negative manner. "Nah… there's nothing down here but abandoned factories and shit. Last report I got had some giant fucking ants around but nothing too dangerous."

Alicia shuddered and shook off the disgust. "We've seen them before… in the metro tunnels downtown."

Hoss chuckled and shook his head. "Not like these fuckers. Queen Ant's supposed to be the size of a house." He patted his minigun. "You think I brought this just to scare off raiders? Fuck those pussies, I brought this for the Deathclaws and Guai out there."

John turned to Hoss and felt some apprehension at the name Deathclaw. "The hell is Deathclaw?"

Hoss visibly shuddered, for a man in Power Armor holding a Minigun to feel scared made John's blood freeze. "Biggest fucking hell spawn you've ever seen. And I've heard reports the Enclave have figured out how to tame em. Just pray to whatever god you believe in you never have to see one."

John decided to let his already frayed nerves relax, and changed the subject quickly. "Let's hope… But Hoss.. .this outpost is destroyed."

Hoss narrowed his eyes, and put his Helmet back on. Using the zoom feature the armor had, he sighted in and gasped at the level of destruction. "Holy shit! You're right… I don't see a transmitter tower though."

John cursed. "Damnit… but we're not gonna make it to Canterbury before the sun sets. I figure that outpost can give us some cover at least to pass the night."

Hoss breathed a loud sigh of resignation. "Might be worth a look… Maybe some tech left from whoever did that."

John got up and motioned to Alicia. "Find a good spot and cover me, I'm gonna move in and make sure it's secure."

Alicia hesitated a second, but then nodded. "Alright… that burned out barn should give me some decent cover…" She pointed over to where the dilapidated building stood.

John nodded and looked to Hoss who replied before John could speak "Yeah yeah, cover her. And you fucking wonder why you get shot all the time."

Rolling his eyes, John jumped down from the rocky outcropping and unslung his rifle. "Radio me when you're in position! I'm gonna move closer."

No more words, the three people in the group were soldiers and knew what to do when danger was about.

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"Ohh… this actually isn't that bad."

Darrows nodded, and adjusted some of the plating on Rodney's armor. "It's not often we use this armor. Most of our guys in the field are in power armor, and the Tesla Suits get saved for officers and assault troops."

Rodney admired how a crystalline layer was used to protect against energy weapon discharges. "What kind of crystal is this?"

Darrows shrugged. "You're asking me? Talk to the foxy doc, all I know is there's a thicker layer of that shit on my armor."

Swearing aside, Darrows was a surprisingly pleasant change from the one word or sentence Enclave Guards he'd seen so far. "Yes well… I'm still hoping I don't have to prove the strength of this armor in any dangerous way."

It was an advanced suit of combat armor, with an extra layer of the flexible crystalline material underneath augmented ceramic coated metal plates. Rodney knew enough about physics and bullet proofing to know it was definitely something special. "So seriously… why don't more of your men use armor like this?"

Darrows shook his head again. "Doc. I'm a soldier. Point me somewhere and tell me to shoot and I'll get the job done. I know jack squat about what we use, only how to use it."

Rodney fought his instinct to yell something about knowing what you're using. It was hard, but thinking better of it he remained silent. Rodney wasn't out of the Enclave yet and any sign that he wasn't fully cooperating and they might 'recapture' him at their convenience. No he needed to keep playing along and hope that when the time came Darrows would help him… at least until he could survive on his own.

"Alright alright… I'll have a chance to talk to her in the morning anyway so I'll ask then."

Darrows smiled slyly. "Pillow talk?"

Rodney was too busy admiring his new armor and replied idly. "Yeah yeah.."

Darrows noticed he wasn't paying attention and decided to have some fun. Turning on his gun camera he began to speak. "Really? I knew you had some gonads Doc! Hope you have fun with her tonight."

Rodney grunted ,still not catching Darrows' words. "Sure whatever…"

Darrows went for the gold. "You can even help me with a dilemma, there's a rumor she's got a birth mark on her right butt cheek."

At the words "butt cheek" Rodney perked up. "What?"

Darrows shrugged and smiled deviously "There's even a bet going round. I'll split the prize with ya if ya help me win it."

"What? What prize? What bet?"

"That Dr Manning has a cute little birthmark on her right butt cheek."

Rodney yelped in surprise. "What!? How can I possibly help you with that!?"

Darrows pulled up his gun camera soundtrack on his audio. His evilly large smile turned into a cackle as Rodney heard their conversation. "What?! No! No I'm not sleeping with her!"

Darrows patted him on the shoulder and then walked away. "Yeah, keep telling me that, maybe someday if I live to be senile I'll believe ya…"

Rodney was about to freak out and defend his and Jennifer's honor, when he caught Darrows wording… 'If he lived to be senile'.

The thought that this man didn't expect to hit old age was a bit disturbing.

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The Enclave Outpost turned out to be deserted, and from the looks of it, heavy weapons had been used to destroy the laser weapon emplacements. It had been completely ransacked and no sign of any bodies were there. But the blood and torn pieces of uniform signaled that it wasn't always like that.

Alicia sighed and dropped her head on John's shoulder as they sat against one of the metal barricades, it made an uncomfortable bed but it would had to do for now. It was night, and despite the Kevlar of the armor she wore, Alicia was still cold. John understood and wrapped an arm around her. "How you holding up?"

Alicia gulped and pulled his arm around her. "Tired. Cold. Sore. My feet ache."

John shifted and pulled her in closer. She'd had a hard day and he knew she hadn't eaten since the river. "Yeah mine too… You think you could hold something down?"

Alicia yawned, and grumbled. "Maybe… I'd kill for some fresh vegetables." She snickered and sighed again. "Never thought I'd ever hear myself say that."

John fished into his pack, and pulled out an MRE, his last one. "Well tell ya what, I'll split this…" he read the flavor. "Apricot Surprise with ya."

Alicia instantly perked up, and in a sudden and unabashed voice squealed "Oh I love you I love you I love you!"

John chuckled and peeled open the wrapper. To the side, Hoss ,who had taken a position in the broken shelter, yelled almost irritably "Keep it down would ya? I'm trying to sleep and your constant flirting is starting to grate on my nerves."

Both John and Alicia cringed slightly. They were still a little embarrassed about what almost happened in Rivet City, and apparently it was still an issue. John turned his head up and cursed back. "I'd tell ya ta screw off Hoss, but I'm too tired to care."

Alicia didn't care that much either. She knew to keep her calm and objectivity. She was sleeping beside John for warmth and protection, not for… other reasons. "I'll be glad once we're back in Atlantis…"

John handed the bigger half of the MRE to Alicia, then took a bite. "You and me both…"

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The sun was rising, and Rodney was still grumbling at being woken up so crassly by the Enclave Guard outside his door. Once he'd dressed and outfitted himself with every food item he could carry and was reasonably sure they weren't irradiated or going to plug him up again, he set out for Dr Manning's quarters.

Darrows had teased him mercilessly about the whole sordid affair regarding the genetic screening. It seemed so strange to Rodney that these people were doing such a thing, but it almost made sense given that their world had been completely destroyed. Not that he agreed on moral reasons, but scientifically the evidence was compelling.

He was a bit surprised to see Dr Manning in the same style armor he was wearing, nervous, but ready to accompany him. "Dephany? You're coming with us?"

She forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah… Project Purity is gonna need my help if they want to get it running and well… you were right. I should come with you."

He kept it at that, No sense giving Darrows more fodder to pick at. Rodney and Dephany made their way to the helipad outside where Darrows and a pair of other power armored soldiers were waiting.

The Vertibird was a pretty cool ship Rodney had to admit. It reminded him of that helicopter thing that Sheppard said he flew once… Ocelot? No… that's that crazy dude from Metal Gear Solid… Otacon? No! That's the geek from Metal Gear Solid! Why was Rodney thinking of Metal Gear Solid so much? Maybe it was the whole military vibe he got from the Enclave. That and the Sentry Bots he saw guarding the base that looked oddly familiar.

Whatever it was, and Rodney thought it was a bird so he was going to call it a Pelican despite knowing damn well that that was the name of the Dropships in Halo, These Vertibirds looked a lot like those, even had the tilting rotors on both side. The biggest difference was a pair of jet engines and the mean looking weapons.

He leaned in to Dephany and murmured. "What kind of weapons are those?"

Dephany kept walking towards the chopper and sighed. "These birds have three weapons usually. Laser or Plasma Gatling cannons are the main weapon…"

Rodney was impressed, but recalled when they were shot down and instantly felt apprehensions. "Uhh alright what else?"

They climbed up into the passenger section of the plane and strapped themselves in, the sliding doors would remain open throughout the flight and Rodney had no intention of falling off.

Dephany continued. "For bigger targets like robots or brotherhood raiders, it's armed with conventional missiles and for hard targets, mortar style mini-nukes."

Rodney instantly bristled. "_NUKES!?_ This thing has nuclear ordinance on it?!"

Darrows came in from the front section and did nothing to hide his laughter. "Hell yes it does. It's already a wasteland out there and sometimes a tactical strike is perfect!"

Rodney instantly regretted having come onto this plane and tried to get of his seat. But the craft was already taking off and unless he wanted to go for a steep drop, he was stuck. "Are you guys nuts!? Radiation… blast wave… Mutation… Sterility!!!"

Both Dephany and Darrows laughed mercilessly. Rodney couldn't help but remember what a strange dream he'd had regarding radiation and was sure it was going to happen again. And probably worse this time.

Darrows was the first to speak. "Relax Doc. Jeez you're gonna pop a vein one of these days. It's tiny nukes, nothing major."

Rodney was indignant. "Nothing major!? You're splitting atoms and breaking things down at the molecular level! How can that not be major!?"

Dephany wrapped an arm around his shoulder and tried to reassure him. "Rod… it's a one ton thermonuclear device. It's the equivalent of 4 or 5 missiles but the size of your head. Radiation is negligible and we always issue Rad-X and Radaway to anyone using it… on that note… Lieutenant?"

Darrows nodded and reached into the first aid kit. "We're gonna pass over some irradiated areas, as well as land next to an old crater we're studying for some refueling. So take these meds every 4 hours. You should be okay as far as radiation goes long as you do that."

Rodney quickly grabbed the bottle of Rad-X, and swallowing the prescribed amount shot a harsh look at both of his so called 'friends' if he could even call them that. "Thanks, but if I grow an extra leg you can be sure I'm kicking your ass with it."

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"Fuck! Open fire Colonel!!"

John didn't need to be told twice, he jumped to the side behind a trash bin and using it for cover, looked at the monstrosity in front of him. The Giant Radscorpion in front of the factory was quite the unwelcome surprise. Hoss was equally surprised, but lowering his Minigun he began to backpedal.

The Bullets from the Minigun shattered against the 2 inch thick carapace of the Radscorpion. The few bullets that did penetrate did little damage against the car sized creature. "Die you mutated son of a bitch!"

John leaned out and fired, the higher velocity bullets causing more damage, but still being mostly deflected by the surprisingly bullet resistant exoskeleton that only chipped and cracked under the high volume of fire. Using only bullets, it would be a pitched battle to defeat one of these monstrosities "Captain, Covering fire!"

It wasn't until Alicia added her Plasma Rifle into the mix that any real damage was done, but she had to be careful with her aim as Hoss was close to the creature as well. "Colonel! My shots do more damage!"

The giant tail of the scorpion came down at Hoss, but a well timed shot from Alicia kept the penetrator from actually hitting Hoss who now stopped firing and backed off. Even with Power Armor, the giant scorpion was much stronger than any other creature they'd encountered so far and it's pincers could easily damage the dense armor, or in a lucky attack, even cut through the non metal armored portions. "Hoss! Get out of the way!"

John was considering falling back, and then using explosives to take it out, when a sudden blast of flame and plasma came from the side behind a car. A somewhat familiar voice screamed as the Scorpion began to screech and run away from the heat and plasma. "What's the matter ya pansy ass Pinko?! Getting tired?!"

John could almost feel the panic entering Alicia's mind. It was a Mr. Gutsy robot that had decided to join the battle. It quickly chased off the radscorpion and with surprisingly efficient aim, put it down with long range plasma fire.

All three humans aimed their weapons, ready to fire on the Mr. Gutsy, but instead the Gutsy turned and looked at them. "That's how we do things in the Army! Hoorah!"

Hoss raised his Minigun and prepared to fire, but John jumped out and began to yell. "Wait! Wait Hoss! Don't shoot!"

Alicia held her rifle up ready to fire as well, but following John's orders she held fire and waited. "Sir…?"

John moved in closer, and took an imposing posture. He had an idea and he prayed to god it worked. "Gutsy Robot! I am Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard! State your rank and designation!"

The Robot growled, turned it's sensor diode to him, then to Hoss, and finally Alicia. It seemed to stare at her. "Sir! I am Sergeant RL-3, Gutsy Class Robot! Your companions will step forward and identify themselves!"

Hoss growled, but seeing where John was going with this replied. "I am Paladin Montgomery Hoss, of the Brotherhood of Steel!"

The robot didn't seem impressed. Alicia's reply made it a little happier though. "Captain Alicia Vega…"

A few seconds passed, and the robot suddenly made a salute. "Sirs! Sergeant RL-3 Reporting for duty! Ready to assist Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and Captain Alicia Vega in escort of Brotherhood Ambassador! Hoorah!"

John smiled, his gamble had paid off and he now apparently was the commanding officer of a very dangerous, and quite possibly mentally unstable robot.

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"Vertibird 1-Delta 36. Taking off and vectoring for Downtown Project Purity. ETA is 20 minutes…"

Rodney listened to the com chatter as the Vertibird pilot pulled the craft into the air and began to move southeast towards the Purifier. Rodney couldn't help but feel a weird sense of Deja-vu as he traveled over the vaguely familiar terrain.

"So how long you think it'll be for Project Purity to get fixed Doc?"

Rodney was jittery, and when he was jittery he tended to ramble on. "Oh I dunno, if it were just me maybe a few days, a week at the most. Of course that depends on what kind of materials and damage the thing has taken compared to the schematics I've seen. With Dr Manning I'm guessing a little less time since we'll be able to multitask better, assuming there's more than one giant problem to fix that…"

Dephany smacked him on the arm playfully and shook her head. "You're babbling Rod."

Rodney had finally had enough. This place was utterly crazy and he needed to get things off his chest. "Well I think I'm allowed to at this point! Ever since I came here it's been one catastrophe after another! First you guys shoot me and my friends down, then you torture me and force me to work for you, then all of a sudden we're friends and I end up getting blown apart by a trap in a baby stroller!"

Darrows and Dephany were both silent, realizing that Rodney had been repressing a lot of ire.

Rodney continued, even as he watched the giant crater left from the nuclear strike below the chopper. "Then, not only do I get healed using medical voodoo I have absolutely no clue about, but I get my ass plugged by food and undergo the humiliation of a roto-router that deflowered me!"

Darrows stifled his laugh, and was ridiculously happy that his helmet was on. Dephany bit her hand to keep from openly howling.

"And now, now that I've realized that the Enclave is the equivalent of the scientific side of the Nazi era…"

The craft suddenly shook, and the distinct sound of laser fire surrounded them. Rodney instantly lost his freak-out and turned into panic. "Oh my god oh my god! What's happening!?"

As if answering him, the Pilot veered the craft to the side and tried to evade whatever was firing on them. "This is Vertibird 1- Delta 36! Taking fire from unknown hostiles! Targets are well armed! Request support!"

The radio squawked with static and broken transmissions. Rodney watched out the side of the craft as what looked like a missile streaked past barely missing the craft. He looked to Darrows who had tightened his seat buckles. "What do we do what do we do!?"

Darrows growled, and looking to Dr Manning who was also panicking calmly stated despite the constant staccato sound of gunfire and explosions. "Hang the fuck on! We're going down!"

And with a sudden slam, one of the rotors of the Vertibird came off as a missile from below hit and began a high velocity tailspin. Rodney cursed Darrows, he cursed whoever had shot them down, and he cursed the Pegasus galaxy. The only place in the universe where he could be in an aircraft that gets shot down twice in as many weeks.

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A/N: Whuhahahaha! Poor Rodney… he finally vents and he gets shot down… literally. :P

I'm assuming the Lone Wanderer found RL-3, recruited him, then fired him and he's been waiting in Canterbury Commons ever since. Since Shep and Vega are actual military, (and haven't officially chosen sides) I figure RL-3 would love to go with them. (And burn the Commies down :P )

(Something strange happened to me actually during my last play through for research on this story. I told RL-3 to wait outside the Citadel so I could pick him up after the Enclave attacks Project Purity, but when I was in the Taft Tunnels with Dr Li, he suddenly popped up out of freakin nowhere. He literally spawned right in front of me, then he started backing me up to great effect! That's one dedicated soldier!)


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Seeing how Rodney's gonna have his own little adventure now, I'm gonna write most of his stuff from a strange 1st/3rd Person POV. Or at least some kind of personal narrator inside his head… I dunno… it just feels so much more right to understand his freakouts and see the world through both his and our eyes at the same time.

Sheppard and Vega will still be the same style as before. Although RL-3 might get a few 1st person POV moments. (Hmm.. how does a gutsy look at the world?)

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"Sir…?"

John snorted, of course Alicia was apprehensive about this robot. But John recalled how eager Sawbones was to be on the front lines and had correctly assumed that this Sergeant RL-3 was of the same stock… well… production line to be more accurate. "Yes Captain?"

Alicia kept her distance from RL-3, but seeing that the Robot had its weapons down and was actually taking a defensive position as they entered Canterbury Commons, felt just a little more reassured. "Are you sure about this Sir?"

RL-3 turned its sensor diode to Alicia, then back to John. "Colonel, What kind of unit is this that a Captain can question a Colonel?"

John chuckled, then shook his head. Oh yeah, he'd certainly stepped in it this time. "We're a… Special Forces group… deep cover and infiltration."

Hoss chuckled to himself, then muttered. "Great… now we're a freaking army. There goes any stealth we mighta had."

RL-3 seemed to bristle and growl eagerly. "So it's all part of the cover then? Hmm… in that case, what is our mission? Escort Brotherhood Mental Patient to base of operations? Assassinate some pinko liberal? Breed capitalism in a commie town?"

John was about to answer and calm down Hoss when he heard yelling from up ahead. He held up his hand and all three of his companions stopped. "Hold… you guys hear that?"

RL-3 bristled and aimed his plasma emitter. "Scanning…"

Alicia shuddered, this robot was clearly insane but for the moment, friendly. "Sounds like shouting sir. A man and a woman."

John held position on the road for a moment, then signaled for them to move behind some rocks for cover. RL-3 seemingly understood perfectly and grumbled. "Switching to long range targeting…"

Alicia quickly took position and looked through her scope. Hoss grumbled as he usually did and John stuck with RL-3 to keep an eye on him "Captain, what do you see?"

Alicia was flabbergasted. Was this really happening? "Uhh… I know you're gonna think I'm crazy sir. But some lady in a bug costume is yelling at a dude wearing a refrigerator and they've both got guns and…"

John checked his scoff, this was the wasteland after all and being sane in an insane place makes _you_ the insane one. "And… what? Come on! I believe you!"

Alicia gulped and nudged the barrel closer to the bug lady. "The walking fridge has 3 robots behind him," RL-3 bristled as if proud. "And the bug lady has… big fucking ants backing her up…"

Hoss started chuckling and shook his head as he recalled. "Fuck I shoulda known. Three-Dog's been barking over this for awhile."

John growled. "How bout you enlighten us then?" The sarcasm wasn't lost on Hoss.

"They're a couple of costumed kooks. They've been fighting for weeks. Bug Lady can control Ants somehow, and the Fridge Man uses Robots he scavenges. They think they're superheroes."

John openly scoffed, then looked to RL-3. "You've been around here, what the hell is going on?"

RL-3 floated, looked around for a moment, then answered. "Sir! The Ant-Agonizer and the Mechanist have been at each other's throats for weeks! The Mechanist's robot forces are stronger, but the Ants reproduce quickly! It's a stalemate and Canterbury Commons has been the center of their battle!"

Alicia gasped as he watched, sounds of battle came from the town. "They're firing… wait… they're not shooting each other… they're just letting the ants and Robots duke it out…"

RL-3 edged closer, as if wanting to join the battle. "The Mechanist and Antagonizer rarely if ever actually join combat. Pansy ass General wannabes…"

John rolled his eyes at the Robot's recrimination, but agreed nonetheless. "You think they'll attack us?"

RL-3 shook his sensor diodes as if they were heads. "Negative! The Antagonizer and the Mechanist have so far only entered into combat with each other. Canterbury is simply the neutral ground they fight over!"

John looked over the rock and saw the battle was over. Both the Antagonizer and Mechanist fell back in opposite directions and their surviving minions followed. Hoss grumbled something under his breath but stayed relatively silent. Alicia got up off the rock and sighed. "Colonel… This place is fucked."

John found it hard to disagree.

----------------------------------------

Rodney felt like he was a pretzel. That was the lowest common denominator of language for how he felt. Something everybody could understand. His head was probably none too happy about the repeated wanging over the past few days but it still worked enough to make out screaming.

"Rodney! Wake up Rodney!"

Was that Sam? It made sense… he'd always assumed that when the time came that she needed him he'd be asleep and she'd have to wake him with no degree of modicum. Why did she need him though?"

"Rodney! We need to go now! Lieutenant Darrows is covering us!"

Darrows? No Sam! It's Sheppard! Sheppard's the one who's covering our tactical retreat… at least… that's what's supposed to happen. He always had to do stuff like that. Dying or pretending to die just to make Rodney feel guilty and become just a little bit more of a human.

"Get down Docs! Incoming!"

A shockwave, or at least a punch, whatever it was that sent Rodney back to the ground in the smoke and haze… smoke and haze? How'd he end up here? The Jumper was… no… it was a Vertibird. Someone shot down the Vertibird he and… Dephany… and… Lieutenant Darrows. Oh Crap! They were getting shot at!

"Rodney! Take this! I can't use it!"

Rodney answered instinctively, finally coming to some sense of realization as to where he was. "What? But it's just a gun!"

"I don't know how to use the Alien Blaster! You do! I know you do! Please! The Lieutenant needs help!"

Rodney finally came back to his senses, albeit the bullet that knocked him back into his chair was the critical point. He winced in pain… it should hurt shouldn't it? He looked down at his armor and saw the 5.56 mm bullet lodged into the hardened ceramic metal plating of his shoulder. Wow… Sheppard would love this stuff.

"Doc! I need cover fire! Don't just sit there, Use the damn thing!"

Rodney looked up and saw Alan Darrows ducked behind the scorched and flaming wing of the Vertibird. He was reloading his pristine black Ion Rifle and looked feral. The pristine shine of his armor was gone, now caked in dents, scuff marks and the occasional heated section where a laser burst had gotten him. "Huh?"

Darrows finished reloading and popped back up, he sighted and fired twice, a scream from not that far away told Rodney he needed to act. "Give me some damn cover fire Doctor! Unless you _wanna_ die!"

It was a tricky situation for Rodney. He didn't like the idea of dying. See he was still confused over what would happen to him when it was all over. He didn't really believe in God, or even an afterlife. So what would happen to all his most genius theorems? The nobel prizes? the recognition from his peers? The acknowledgement he wanted when he accepted the highest honor Earth had and even Sheppard and Sam would have to bow to his glory?

He had to act, he had to stand and fight. The Alien Blaster which in actuality was an Ancient Handgun was in his hands. Rodney held one of the most dangerous weapons in existence in his right hand… He held the power of life or death…

There was just one problem. Rodney was allergic to pain.

He dazedly moved forward and kneeled next to Darrows, who the hell was shooting at them? _"_Lieutenant…"

Darrows fired another trio of shots, and bullets pinged off his armor harmlessly. He grunted as the concussive force pushed against him and finally he took cover. "Stop talking and start shooting! I'm almost out of ammo!"

Dephany near him held a pistol, she held it shakily in her right hand and it was obvious she'd never used the device before. Rodney had to act, this was his moment, the time to be a hero was now! "Why aren't we running away!?"

Darrows loaded his last microfusion cell into the Ion Rifle and grunted to get into the zone. He swirled around and aimed. "Because Talon Fucking Company is right on our doorstep!"

Talon Company? This was the first that Rodney had heard of them. Perhaps if they survived Rodney would find out more about these obviously dangerous men. "Why are they shooting at us?!"

Darrows sighted on the nearest one, armed with light combat armor and an assault rifle. Even as he saw the menacing power armored soldier, he still opened fire. The bullets were no match against the hardened steel of Darrow's Tesla Power Armor, and an Ion Beam to the face was enough to cripple and ensure an agonizing, if slow death. "Maybe if you shot back I could answer that!"

Rodney finally comprehended. Darrows needed cover… Okay. _Breath in… squeeze the trigger don't pull… Keep to cover… _ Rodney jumped out and aimed. The adrenaline was barely enough to keep what he was seeing from ejecting out the back of his pants.

A full squad of Talon Company Mercenaries, heavily armed and with robot support was on the other side of what Rodney now realized was a crater the Vertibird had crashed in. What had caused this crater? Rodney understood a nuclear bomb had created this massive crater, but for the moment, survival took precedence over radioactive exposure.

He sighted on one of the robots, some crazy floating tentacled beast screaming about pain leaving the body being weakness or something… Rodney wasn't paying any real attention. Rodney squeezed the trigger and the blue energy bolt flew out in contrast to the green energy spitting out of one of the tentacles.

The pristine Mr Gutsy robot took a glancing blow, but the advanced technology of the Ancient Energy Pistol, which the Enclave and Rodney assumed everyone else called an Alien Blaster, easily short circuited the robot which fell to the floor amidst staticy gasps of pinning his medals to his chest.

Calm… Calm… shoot! Another blue plasma shot spat out and a heavily armored Talon Mercenary screamed in agony as his body was atomized from the outside in. The others, seeing what a powerful weapon it was, intensified their fire on Rodney's position.

Of course Rodney, seeing the sudden dust cloud and taking fire from the fusillade, dove to the ground and covered his head. Darrows in the meanwhile, took the moment of chaos to jump out and tear the plasma gatling gun from the shattered remains of the Vertibird as he holstered his Ion Rifle on his back. "Come on you scav dickheads! Eat hot plasma!"

Rodney could hear a cacophony of metal pinging against metal, a few seconds passed and the gunfire died down, now replaced by screams and the distinctive whir of both a motor, and plasma sizzling the air.

Dephany crawled over and helped him up, God he was sore…. Why was he sore? Oh yeah… he'd crashed… and how the front plating of his armor along his chest and shoulder was riddled with low caliber bullets. None had penetrated, but Rodney was sure he'd bruise... probably enough to cause an infection and die… die in this horrible radiated wasteland.

Anytime now Sheppard and V'Ger! This Pelican Ocelot wannabe heliplane was not the best ride and he could sure use some help right about now. Where was a freaking Jumper when you needed one? He'd settle for one of those fraking Raptors from Battlestar Galactica! Rodney jumped back up, now realizing that they might get away and Darrows needed all the help he could get… Where were the other Enclave Soldiers? The two other's in power armor and the pilot?

Rodney sighted on another Talon Merc, this one pointing a heavy looking weapon at Darrows. Flame spat out of the heavy machine gun as Darrows tried to turn and fire. Rodney hesitated, but seeing Darrows groaning in pain eventually fired.

The blue plasma was distinctive among the green bolts from the gatling cannon. Even as the heavily armored merc grunted and bore the pain and heat from multiple green hits, his shriek of anguish as his left arm suddenly vaporized, soon followed by the rest of his body from being hit with the _blue_ plasma shocked even Rodney.

Bodies were now strewn about, most sizzling and some still squirming. Darrows was breathing hard and fast, the pain in his fierce cries evident. "Move! Fall back and regroup!"

Rodney understood, but immediately knew Dephany was catatonic. He got his first real look and saw the poor doctor was firing madly, missing horribly, and bleeding profusely from a head wound. Rodney grabbed a hold of her and pulled her away. "Dephany! We need to move!"

"Oh my god Rodney! We're going to die!"

HA! As if Rodney hadn't heard this before…! Or rather… said it before… Little did Dr. Dephany Manning know who was her savior and protector now! "No! NO no we're not gonna die! Move! The Lieutenant is covering us!"

Rodney was good at scampering. It was a hobby of his in highschool… unless you count the nuclear physics stuff… but that was all classified anyway so… "Rodney! Where do we go?"

She was asking _him?!_ Rodney had absolutely no clue which way was up down or left and right. All he knew is the other side of this crater was most likely safer than the inside of it, and he only had another 12 shots in the Ancient Energy Pistol before needing another cell. "Do you have anymore ammo for this?"

"No! That's all we had! We found it at Olney City!"

He could probably rewire it to accept MicroFusion cells, but he'd need delicate tools and a serious workbench, so unless he learned how to do electronic work with sticks and radioactive stones… "Argh… Come on!"

She followed unquestioningly. All the while Lieutenant Darrows falling back as well with the Plasma Gatling gun hanging off his power armor. He was moving slowly though, shell shocked, dazed, and wounded from such a heavy firefight. The Talon Mercenaries were falling back, but dozens more were likely on their way.

A few stray rounds landed near Rodney and Dephany and sent them to the ground seeking cover. Rodney spun around and looked at the battle.

Darrows was holding them off despite the odds. But he lumbered around, the weight on the Gatling Cannon and his own injuries slowing him. One of the sharp looking spikes on his helmet had been snapped off and his armor was sparking from taking so much damage. He half jogged, half limped his way back to the Vertibird and tossed the Gatling Cannon to the ground. He disappeared inside for a moment, then came out holding a heavy assault rifle.

Rodney had managed to scurry his way up to the edge of the crater now. His body screamed and ached but after 4 years of dealing with Wraith, Replicators, and Sheppard's constant screams of "Faster!" Rodney was in somewhat decent shape. Even as he carried his rucksack with food and water

"Rodney! What do we do!? Oh my god what do we do?" Dephany was in hysterics, her second trip out into the wasteland and again, a massive explosion had ruined her day.

Rodney saw that a Talon Merc had some giant pipe like.. Oh crap! A rocket launcher! Even Darrows Tesla Armor couldn't hold that back! He motioned for Dephany to get down, and Rodney aimed the Ancient Energy Pistol. "Stay down Dephany!"

He aimed carefully, Only one chance to be a hero. Rodney was shaking so badly from the adrenaline rush and shock that he accidentally double tapped the trigger.

The twin bolts of blue plasma spat out, the first cleanly missing the Talon Merc, but the second hit the side of the launcher detonating the missile inside. It was a strange and amazing sight to see a red explosion with a blue vaporizing center. All that was left of the Talon Merc was a smoldering pile of ashes. The other mercenaries had fallen back, unwilling to lose anymore men to the battle.

Rodney was ecstatic, yet another certain death moment had been averted by his now expert use of tactical retreat and regroup. He had no doubt Sheppard would be proud… after he'd finished laughing at the almost three-stooges like manner of his escape.

Darrows joined them momentarily, his breaths were ragged and short, his voice irate. "Move! That bird's gonna blow!"

Rodney raised his eyebrows in shock. "What?! Again!?"

Darrows picked both Rodney and Dephany up by the shoulder plates and pulled them along. "Stop talking and start running!"

Rodney decided that perhaps discretion was the better part of valor, and instead of flailing his arms about as he ran, kept low to avoid the stray shot or two that came in their direction. He was proven correct as usual, when a sudden massive explosion from inside the crater spewed shrapnel and fire across the landscape around them. Where they would go from here was now a mystery, and Rodney prayed that whatever luck he still had was still useful to him.

---------------------------------

"That must be the 20th time they've done that. We've had to get used to their skirmishes and well… since the Enclave set up around town we're just trying to survive now."

John shook his head in sympathy, but there wasn't anything he could really do about this now. He felt for these people, and seeing Alicia sigh and force her eyes to the ground he knew she felt it too. But they had a mission and needed to focus.

Uncle Roe stared at both Hoss and RL-3 before muttering. "Looks like you've got quite the varied party. I don't suppose many raiders or beasts try and mess with you guys."

Hoss grunted and scoffed. "You'd think that wouldn't you?"

RL-3 simply stayed quiet, looking around as if watching for an ambush. Roe was getting a little nervous now and tried to keep a diplomatic voice. "Well… if you guys are looking for somewhere to get a bite and maybe stay a spell, speak to Joe Porter in Dot's Diner… or if you're looking to buy some stuff, you could wait around till the Caravans show."

Alicia furrowed her brow. "Caravans? Traders actually come all the way

Roe nodded, and his bright Hawaiian shirt seemed to glisten in the sun. RL-3 was just thinking that wearing such a brightly colored and easily visible clothing made Roe a perfect target for a night time sniping attack. "Of course they come out here. They come out because I asked them to. We're sort of the merchant hub out here and all 4 of the Capital Wasteland caravan's claim Canterbury Commons as their headquarters."

Hoss grumbled. "Look we don't need the town's life story… is there anywhere we can hunker down till tonight?"

John saw no need to be rude, and shot an annoyed glance at the Paladin. "Hoss, maybe you should leave the talking to me." He turned back to Roe who was looking a bit intimidated by the man in Power Armor. "As my socially inept friend says, we're just looking to stick around for a day, 2 tops. We'll be glad to do some trading but for the most part we just need privacy."

Two leather and metal clad people seemed to be circling the group, all 4 of the party noticed, but RL-3 was the only one to speak. "Warning! RL-3's scans indicate possible ambush. Likelihood of impeding this unit… Zero Percent!"

John looked at RL-3 and kept his voice quiet. "Uhh… Sarge, I don't think we're gonna be entering combat anytime soon. But I'm going to need your familiarity with this locale and… any other talents you may have later on. So for now… remain at ease."

RL-3 cocked it's sensor diode to the side, as if contemplating his words. "Yes Sir, time to hit the showers!"

The Robot didn't do anything, and John decided that when this was all said and done, he'd ask someone who knew exactly why they would program a Robot with such a quirky personality. He turned back to Roe. "We're not looking for a fight, so you can tell your two guards to stand down."

Roe looked to them both and nodded reassuring them that things were okay. John was glad that a conflict had been averted and moved his hand away from the trigger of his gun. It was a welcome change to the roving bands of raiders and miscreants they'd met on the road.

Roe hooked his thumb down to the end of the street. "If you're looking for privacy, down at the end of the road by the toppled building is the best place. You're actually in luck if you want to do some trading as Canterbury's prodigal daughter has been here for a few days since the Enclave set up camp nearby,"

John nodded and decided the conversation was just about done. "Thank you… with any luck we'll be on our way in a day or two. Who's this prodigal daughter lady you're on about?"

As if summoned, the nasal and ridiculously cheerful voice echoed off the walls of the destroyed town. "Ohh Visitors! A Brotherhood Paladin and an old Gutsy!" the jumpsuit wearing woman with the barrette in her hair moved up and stood beside Roe. "And you two… I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say you're those nice people the Radio keeps talking about! Spiky and Cutie?"

Alicia smacked her forehead. Three Dog would not have much time to live once she got back to Galaxy News radio… _if _she ever got back there. "You… could say that. My name's Alicia."

John couldn't get the feeling that he was about to have a conversation with Lindsay Novak out of his head. The cheerfulness was just _too_ disconcerting. "Uhhh… I'm John, and you are?"

The woman wiped her hand on her suit, leaving dirt and oil on the RobCo jumpsuit. "Oh how silly of me! I'm Moira Brown!"

Hoss rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. _"Of course you are…"_

-------------------------------------

A/N2: The Vertibird with Rodney, Darrows, and Dephany crashed to the southeast of Fort Bannister (Talon Merc HQ) just for clarification.

Here's a Special Stats on our good Doctor and his possibly evil bodyguard.

**Dr Meredith Rodney McKay SPECIAL Stats Level 10 **(He does have experience in combat and survival, but not in the wasteland.)

Strength = 4  
Perception = 5  
Endurance = 4+2 (bonus for sheer will to survive.)  
Charisma = 3  
Intelligence = 9  
Agility = 6  
Luck = 10 (How else has he survived up until this point?)

Perks: Bloody Mess, Comprehension, Computer Whiz, Jinxed*, Educated, Nerd Rage!, Robotics Expert, Demolitions Expert(3)

(*Jinxed is technically not in the Fallout 3 game, but damnit how else am I gonna explain Rodney's ability to blow up starsystems by accident?!)

**Lieutenant Alan Darrows SPECIAL stats – Level 15**

Strength = 6  
Perception = 8  
Endurance = 6  
Charisma = 5  
Intelligence = 4  
Agility = 8  
Luck = 3+2 (Bonus luck rubbing off Rodney)

Perks: Better Criticals, Chem Resistant, Commando, Concentrated Fire, Demolition Expert (1), Fast Metabolism, Finesse, Light Step, Rad Resistance, Pyromaniac, Size Matters (2), Srong Back, Enclave Training*, Toughness.

(*Enclave Training = Energy Weapons training, Paramedic Training, and basic computer skills.)


	20. The Calm Before and After

**The Calm before and after.**

A/n:Posting this longish chapter as the muse hit me hard. (RL-3's backstory was criminally fun to write and i may expand on it) This is what I have for this week so enjoy! :D

-----------------

Rodney really didn't like having to carry people, and even more when they were wearing insanely heavy armor. Thankfully Dephany wasn't unwilling to help, and carrying Darrows to a somewhat safe and hidden location. His tongue stuck out like a dog trying to get cool under the wasteland sun.

The battle had been left behind, but the possibility of death hadn't gone down much in Rodney's mind. The giant roach was only the beginning in Rodney's overly active imagination.

The ancient energy pistol/alien blaster on his hip still had a few shots though, and Darrows had that nasty looking assault rifle. If they could find some place to hunker down they might actually stand some insignificant iota of a chance.

Finally they reached a bombed out building nearby, and what looked like a gazebo thingy was nearby. Dephany and Rodney dropped Darrows onto the wall and cringed at his cry of pain. "Argh… FUCK! One of you… open my thigh pouch… I got a kit in there… urgh…!"

Dephany quickly acted, and opened the pouch revealing the field medic kit inside. "Alright… what do you need?!"

Rodney was completely lost. All he could think about was the size of the Roach that had attacked him his first time outside Raven Rock, and the thought of what size _other_ animals might have gotten to. "Darrows… where the hell are we?"

Darrows groaned loudly as he tried to sit up, Dephany helped him and tried to console the wounded soldier. "Hell if I know doc! Patch me up I'll see what I can do…"

Dephany spilled the contents out and looked at it. A myriad of drugs and medical equipment were inside. "Oh my god… I have no idea what to do…. Rodney! Help!"

Rodney tugged on his hair, he silently wished that Jennifer could possess him for even a few moments. Why oh why didn't he ever listen more often? "I… I don't know anything about this medicine!"

Darrows screamed in frustration. He'd been shot to hell and his armor had barely kept him alive. His life support sensor in his HUD said he was in bad shape. "Shoot me up with those stims Doc… then gimme that bottle'a buffout…"

Dephany picked up the stim, and with her hands shaking looked for where to inject it. "Uhh… where do I…?"

A port opened on the chest plate of the armor, and blood oozed out making Dephany turn a few shades greener. Rodney quickly took over and tried to ignore the blonde doctor as she turned away and spewed the contents of her stomach onto the floor nearby. "Just inject it?"

Darrows groaned in fury. "I'm bleeding out and in fucking agony… JUST DO IT!"

There wasn't much choice, and Rodney was reminded of Pulp Fiction as he stabbed the massive looking injector into Darrow's chest. What started out as a groan of pain turned into a satisfied one as the contents were shot into his body. "Arrghh…. Ohhh… ahhh fuck that's the stuff… Hit me again Doc… come on! another 2 stims and that small green one…"

Rodney did as he was told, he prayed that this advanced medical technology would be able to save the man that would most likely be the one to save him. "How bad are you hurt… I mean… do you think you'll be okay? Is a rescue chopper on route? Will those Talon something or other dudes follow…?"

Alan Darrows had been trained by the Enclave to deal with any situation. 9 times out of 10, this involved shooting… a lot. Alas, he'd run out of micro fusion cells and the heavy assault rifle he had on his back was too big to fit between him and Rodney otherwise he would gladly pull the trigger now. _"RODNEY! GIVE ME THE FUCKING STIMS __**NOW**__!"_

In his stunned state, Rodney complied instantly, he shot another stimpack, and then another as Darrows groaned in pain and slowly stopped panting. He finally began to move with some semblance of living and opened another pouch in his armor. "There's some blood packs in there… hook it up to my suit's life support."

Dephany had finished being sick, and now despite looking as if she'd been rolling in the dirt, came to help. "Lieutenant… here…"

She took the Med-X in her hands and injected it into the nape of his neck. Within seconds Darrows went from his furious injured self, and sighed in contentment. "More… gimme the buffout."

Rodney gulped hard. "Good god man, what are you a junkie?"

Darrows felt the anger, but it didn't leave his mouth, the Med-X was more than sufficient to make even a Deathclaw seem funny. "Hahaha… fuuuuuck… are you kiddin' me? I'm almost fucking immune to these fucking things…"

Dephany remained quiet, but Darrow's constant cursing seemed to make her cringe. "Just stay calm Lieutenant…just stay calm… just stay calm…" It was obvious to the two men that the bespectacled scientist was saying it more to calm herself than her patient.

Rodney delicately attached the blood pack to the point where Darrows had shown him and quickly let it go. Blood always made Rodney sick and the thought that this was about to go into this soldier… "Are you feeling better?"

Darrows scoffed and then started laughing raucously. "Like a fuckin Nuka Cola Quantum! Help me take my fuckin boots off man…"

Both Dephany and Rodney looked at each other. Although it was Dephany who worded their thoughts. "Lieutenant… why do you need to take your boots off?"

Darrows grumbled, now visibly angry despite his heavily stoned behavior. "Because my fucking blood is pooling and my fuckin feet are wet!"

Again Dephany felt her stomach convulse. Rodney managed to hold it in, but just barely. Darrows was a diehard soldier alright, and somewhere in the back of Rodney's mind he realized that like it or not, the man was the most likely way he was going to survive in this desert. He would certainly have to see about his vocabulary though.

----------------------------------

"Ohhh! So you're those people my assistant took to the Brotherhood!"

John froze with the drink in his hand to his lips. _"Say whaat?!"_

Moira shrugged about in a strange almost ignorantly cute way. "Oh I'm sorry… Robert! He's a sneaky one isn't he? But he helped me write my first book and I'm so glad he's still okay out there."

To the side, Hoss was arguing with RL-3 over the difference between the Brotherhood and the Army, Alicia and a young kid named Derek had been having fun watching the argument and talking about the Mechanist and the AntAgonizer.

John on the other hand had talked with Moira seeing as she was the most well traveled out of everyone in the town. They were sharing a drink inside Dot's Diner and slowly but surely, John's patience was wearing thin. "You mean that wasteland survival guide?"

Moira's eyes glowed with pride. "OH You've read it!? I'm so _honored_! That Three Dog keeps telling us all about your adventures and it's such a privilege to meet you!"

John completely missed her holding her hand out to him as he was rubbing his eyes trying to keep from screaming in frustration. "Uhh sorry… Exactly what is Three Dog saying about us?"

Moira withdrew her hand without any recrimination, and sighed wistfully. "Oh wonderful incredible things! He's saying you're the next best thing to the Lone Wanderer who just so happens to be my assistant! *Sigh*! Aww... that handsome devil must be so proud of you two… and you make such a cute couple!"

To that, John finally couldn't take it, the Nuka cola he'd just sipped came back as he reacted in surprise, he choked momentarily and felt the carbonation burning his nasal passages as he tried to recover. For some reason the idea that Robert could tolerate this woman was unsettling.

Alicia noted right away, and even as the diner's owner Joe Porter moved over to help, Alicia quickly got behind John and steadied him as he coughed and cleared his throat. "Sheppard, are you okay?"

He nodded as drew in sharp breaths, and tugged on his hair. John's voice was hoarse. "Oh yeah… never better"

Alicia rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder. "Alright alright… I'm gonna see if I can get Hoss and the Sarge to stop bickering… Maybe we can get started on our plan then."

Alicia walked away, leaving John to the wolves so to speak. "Plan? Ohhh! Is this another heist where you're going to take on the Enclave with superior tactics? Cuz I'm thinking of writing my second survival book and dealing with unsociable power armored government officials…"

John felt the urge, and strangely it was remarkably stronger than the urge against Rodney, the urge to reach over and strangle the life out of this woman or at least knock her into next week. "I'm not sure it'd be all that safe for me to tell you." John hoped the secret mysterious air would excite her, since he actually needed to resupply their food stores since Alicia had dumped all their Mirelurk meat. They was running a little low on Caps and might have to barter some ammo or medical supplies to get what he needed in the foreseeable future. "But I hope we can still do business."

Moira grinned widely. "Ohh goodie! I've been so worried ever since the Enclave set up shop on the road that I wouldn't be able to trade but I think I might actually be able to get back to Megaton with you guys around!"

John furrowed his brow. Megaton didn't exactly sound… pleasant.

------------------------------------

Rodney was totally out of his realm. Dammit he was a physicist not Rambo! Whose idea was it to drop him in the middle of a radioactive…

"Oh crap! Dephany! How much anti-radiation meds do we have left?"

Dephany was scrunched up against the wall holding her .32 pistol in one hand. She looked up to Rodney with an almost defeated expression. "Huh?"

Rodney moved over, Darrows was still completely out of it as his body healed from the controlled overdose he'd taken of advanced medical drugs. A large blood pool had soaked into the ground and surprisingly, after getting the transfusion, he recovered fairly quickly.

Rodney cautiously laid a hand on Dephany's shoulder, and spoke softly. "Dephany… how much supplies do we have left?" Rodney knew he had enough food for about a week if it were just him and he rationed it out. 4 meals a day was rationing wasn't it? Darrows probably carried something like MREs but he wasn't sure how long it would all last between the three of them.

He'd heard in Raven Rock that hunting was the primary mode of eating out here, but Rodney wasn't that eager to bite into a mutated rat.

Dephany looked at him, and after a moment nodded. "Yeah… yeah yes supplies…" She dug into her pack, as well as the rucksack where Darrows had toss all his miscellaneous equipment. "Ummm… Anti-Rad… we've got a few bottles of Rad-X left… some Radaway… and Darrow's combat meds."

Rodney furrowed his brow. "Combat Meds?"

Dephany sniffled and nodded. "Stimpacks… Psycho… Buffout…Mentats…. We don't generally recommend our soldiers take them too much but in combat sometimes it's needed."

Rodney pulled her closer, trying both to calm her down and warm himself up from the surprising cold. "What does each do?"

Dephany realized that Rodney was trying to distract her, and surprisingly doing a pretty good job. "Umm… Stimpacks are like adrenaline with a mix of anti-inflammatorys and minerals… stuff that'll help your body recover and heal… Psycho is more like a methamphetamine mixed with a neural stimulant…."

"Neural stimulant? What does that do?" Rodney was surprisingly impressed with the voodoo these people had come up with. He'd have to make sure to take a sample of all this stuff back to Atlantis for testing. For the moment though, he had more pressing concerns. "You know what, I can wait… what do the other things do?"

Dephany dropped her head on his shoulder and kept snifling. It had taken her awhile but slowly she was coming to grips with the events of only a few hours ago. "Umm… Buffout is a hard-hitting steroid, pain suppressant and mineral supplement, it also has a chemical that causes muscular microtearing making it grow bigger and stronger… I've heard it's really addictive."

Rodney couldn't help but imagine it. Wow, walking up to Sheppard after taking some of that… _no wait… RONON!_ Walking up to RONON after taking that and in his best Schwarzenegger accent going _'Who's the Neanderthal now!'_

"Mentats are… different though. I've taken them before but I don't like how it feels after it wears off."

Rodney couldn't help but deduce from the term 'Mentat' "Is it something to do with your brain?"

Dephany nodded, and put her arms around Rodney. Suddenly he realized _'Oh crap! Stranded! Cabin Fever! Genetic Manipulation! Tattoo on right butt cheek!'_

She breathed in and whispered. "Yeah… it's a stronger version of the neural stimulants I mentioned earlier… for most people it makes them more perceptive and smarter… for really smart people though it can just make things… frustrating."

Before Rodney could reply, he heard a whine of servos and a groan of pain. "Urghh… Doc! Where the hell'd you go!?" Rodney pulled Dephany up to her feet along with him, and they rushed over to where Darrows sat. He had taken his helmet off as well as most of his armor. Only his chest plate and left arm still remained on him "Alright… I think I can walk now… We need to get to cover… the subway should be fine… Here."

Darrows handed Rodney the heavy assault rifle, Rodney instantly shirked away "What!? You wan us to go underground again? Have you forgotten what happened last time we went into those tunnels?"

"No doc, but I doubt vampires are gonna be in _every_ subway tunnel. Most I'm guessing is rats or maybe some ghoulies."

Rodney wasn't reassured, "You mean those zombie freaks of nature?! No thanks! How about we use that suit of yours to call another Vertibird so we can ge the hell outta here?" Despite the crash, Rodney still felt much safer high in the skies than down here with all the radiation and mutated monsters. He swore a fly had buzzed past his face it looked so big, but it actually turned out to be the size of a football and 20 feet away minding its own business. That memory now haunted his vision.

Darrows shook his head, and began to piece his armor back together. "No can do Doc… Project Purity is on it's own ever since we got those forcefields up, and resupply is every week. That's who we hitched a ride with and I'm guessing why Talon shot us down… scav fuckheads… No enclave outposts close enough to catch my suit's signal either that ain't taking us too close to Talon."

Dephany took some deep breaths and handed Darrows his right glove back. She was nowhere near stable in her voice, but slowly calm was coming back. "He's right Rod… we're in the middle of nowhere… Although I think there's supposed to be a vault a few hours to the east of here… Lieutenant?"

Darrows accepted the glove, and slurred his words just slightly, "Dunno about that… but recon placed a town a few miles east of here, looked somewhat secure and we got some radio signals from there. Dunno how glad they'll be to see us though."

Rodney drew upon all his experience and realized that there was one thing that everybody in the galaxy wanted, nay, NEEDED and would be willing to look the other way. "We can trade stuff to them! Once they see we're not gonna shoot them up and go all Robin Hood except for the giving to the poor, I'm sure they'd at least listen to us and maybe let us use a radio!"

Darrows considered it, and putting on his boots he locked the seals on them. His armor had taken a severe beating and he looked nothing like the pristine soldier he had at the beginning of the day. "Maybe… I dunno who the fuck Robin Hood is but for now lets get out of sight. Jury Street Metro's not far and maybe we can hide out there until…"

The man suddenly stumbled, and shook his head. Both Dephany and Rodney went to help him steady himself. "Lieutenant! Are you sure you're okay?!"

Darrows turned to Dephany and chuckled. "Are you kidding? I'm high as a Vertibird and feel like a million caps. All I need now is a guai to tussle with and I'm all good."

Rodney swore he could see the smile underneath his armored helmet. He began to have second thoughts about having this man be his escort in such a ridiculously dangerous place in the galaxy. "I liked you better sober…"

-------------------------------

This Colonel and Captain were quite different from most Military types RL-3 knew. Sure they were obviously experienced, and from the way they quickly drew out a map and ruled out possible plans, they expected to survive.

RL-3 didn't think like that. Survival was secondary, Fear was non-existent. The mission success was all that mattered. Ironically, his lack of fear was the biggest asset and RL-3 claimed more kills, more bagged monstrosities, and fragged more Commies than just about anyone he'd come across.

RL-3 could tolerate very few people who weren't military, and usually few of those could tolerate him. Robert had been the first in a long time, and he'd given RL-3 the chance to be a part of a great battle. The Clearing of Project Purity and subsequent look for it's founder.

His flamethrower had claimed more hostiles in that battle than the last 20 years combined. It was the greatest fight he'd had in a long time. But when the time came for guard duty… Robert had told him to leave.

It barely registered. He had been reassigned to a solo unit, no longer working with such a great warrior. Robert had instantly piqued RL-3's interest, the way he could both convince someone to lay their arms down, but then just as soon kill them to prevent a future encounter. It showed a level of pragmatism he'd not seen in many many years.

Robert had told him to leave out of fear of losing him. A strange sentiment. RL-3 had survived much worse than the Mutants and communist Raiders he'd found with Robert.

Granted, he'd been built with autorepairing modules, and with a rechargeable battery pack that could run off Fission Batteries, Micro Fusion Cells, or in a worst case scenario, even solar cells, it came as a serious surprise to most people that RL-3 was over 200 years old.

He'd been present at countless battles including the liberation of Anchorage, by far the bloodiest and most satisfying fight he'd ever had. So many notches would have been added to his gun if he carried one.

Canterbury Commons was the closest thing to a home he had. In the Capital Wasteland, the Mechanist's forces were the closest thing he had to allies and if the need came he could reprogram them. But it was a boring duty protecting Canterbury, not even so much as a Yao Guai would ever show itself and RL-3 had long ago lost the zeal for shooting Radscorpions and Ants.

So now that true military minds… not the cowardly communist Enclave, had arrived. He was only too glad to help.

Colonel Sheppard was as far as he could tell a wise leader. He easily commanded the respect of his subordinate despite their easy going nature, and this crazy Brotherhood kook wearing power armor even acquiesced to his orders.

Paladin Hoss, a descendant of the Brotherhood of Steel, themselves part of the Army before the war. RL-3 had been lucky during the atomic exchange and survived along with his unit. Alas, humans were not built to withstand radiation and he'd watched them all succumb agonizing and quite distasteful deaths involving the spewing of several types of bodily fluids. The only thing that kept RL-3s spirits up was that the Commies would experience no better, and if God was any indication probably worse..

He wandered the wastes, slowly examining how everything changed around him. RL-3 was stationed in Canada at the time of the nuclear exchange and over the last 200 years had explored the entire country.

The West had much promise, but he'd watched from afar as technology and the culture he'd sworn to protect disintegrated. His neural net had slowly adapted using his logic expansion program. The Brotherhood was the only remaining beacon of hope on the West Coast, and RL-3 wanted nothing to do with them.

Because if RL-3 were to have a defining moment in his life, it would be meeting one who many knew as "The Vault Dweller". He'd been privy to the last moments of the man's life and deep within his processors, the story he told shaped and gave him identity. It gave RL-3 great honor to have been the one to grant the Vault Dwellers last wish and burn his body so it was not desecrated by the radioactive wild life.

The Vault Dweller's words were hauntingly perfect to RL-3. Were his emotions more than just subroutines, and his lubrication system more than just a system, he had no doubt something akin to a tear would have been shed. Or in the case of RL-3's processing right now, laughter.

"You're a Hero… and you have to leave."

RL-3 never forgot those words, or any of the others the shattered man told him of great battle and bittersweet victory. RL-3 didn't feel emotion persay, but he felt great remorse and regret or at least the robotic equivalent that he was not present for the Master's defeat at the LA Boneyard or Mariposa Military Base Vats. As long as RL-3 survived though, those words would always have meaning, would always live on in him. It was proof positive to him that his programmers had been wise indeed to install personality analyzers.

To be a hero was foolhardy, the good guys don't always win. In fact, more often then not it's the good guys who have all the problems with people wanting to get rid of them or the ones who like the Vault Dweller, were sent to do the dirty work and when the time came to come home, they were not longer welcome.

RL-3 had survived the West, the Mid-West, and even here in the Capital Wasteland by being unnoticed until the time to strike. Perfectly neutral, no alliances to anyone but himself, and those he deemed worthy of a true Soldiers companionship.

On the flip side, he'd also seen many people Humans would deem evil. A soldier does not kill for enjoyment, but rather gets joy from completing his job. If that includes using a hydraulic piston to break a commie's hip so he can sit there and die unless he gives you the information you need, was that really a crime? No! Because RL-3 derived no pleasure or disgust from the action, but rather the success!

Granted, burning the commies down WAS fun, but he derived more satisfaction from a successful mission than just another commie casualty. At least that's what he told himself so he didn't create a feedback loop in his neural net. It was all very complicated and rarely did RL-3 feel the need to process the information needed to understand it.

The plan Colonel Sheppard was detailing was bold, direct, and even suicidal if it was done wrong. RL-3 greatly appreciated suicide missions because after he came back, those around him always felt just that bit more intimidated. It made future missions even more likely of success if the enemy knows what you've survived.

The plan involved having the Captain lay down sniper fire, then ambushing the attacking soldiers in a three way crossfire. The hope was that under combined weapons fire they'd stand a chance and not get that much in return fire. The only issue was that they'd have to get pretty damn close and there were 5 Enclave Soldiers manning the outpost. It was likely to succeed, but casualties were almost assured given the Enclave's technological superiority.

But technological superiority is only part of the battle, and RL-3 wasn't going to let some new Ion Technology put an end to him.

"Excellent Plan Sir! We'll either kill em all and let god sort em out, or meet god himself!"

Hoss beside him grumbled and gave RL-3 a whack with his hand. "You really know how to dampen the mood don't you?"

RL-3 had been attacked, his personal and private space had been _violated._ He raised the plasma projector to Hoss's head slowly and aimed the flamethrower to his legs. His sensor diodes glowed red with fury. "Do that again, and I'll put my foot so far up your ass you'll be coughing up boot polish!"

Alicia snorted in laughter, and tried to contain it. She could almost picture a boot inside RL-3's storage container just to follow through with the threat. "Calm down Sarge. Hoss is here to help." Alicia had been apprehensive about the Gutsy, but slowly she was coming around as so far it had made no attempts to invade her personal space and actually seemed to like her. RL-3's arguments with Hoss had been a welcome diversion, and Alicia felt much better about their situation after watching it.

RL-3 had just programmed his attack pattern should Paladin Hoss not yield. But seeing the Paladin suddenly look somewhat apologetic, and also put his hands down, RL-3 relented to Captain Vega's orders. "Yes Ma-am!"

Colonel Sheppard seemed frustrated. It was almost as if he'd never lived his life in this place. But RL-3 knew that it was most likely this lunatic possibly communist Brotherhood man who was affecting the Colonel. Hoss grated on RL-3's nerves, or at least the subroutine mimicking it. "Alright Sarge, since you know the area so well what would you suggest?"

RL-3 stiffened, did the Colonel just… _rebuke him?_ "Sir! I meant no offense to your planning. In fact I'm relishing staring death in the face once more!"

The Colonel and Captain shared a look, something akin to confusion. His words were remarkably diplomatic. "Uhh… I didn't take any offense Sarge. Seriously, I'm asking you for your opinion."

RL-3 quickly engaged his planning subroutine. Despite his own lack of a survival instinct, he knew these people were not ready to meet their makers. It was strangely assuring to RL-3 that he'd met his maker the first day he was commissioned, and hence when the time came, God would only be his friend.

"Sir! This unit's planning capabilities are the top of the line. What goals and objectives are there other than making those commie sons'a bitches die for their country?"

Another glance, and it was obvious the Colonel was suppressing a sigh. The Captain simple turned away from him holding her mouth resisting the laughter.

RL-3 thought it was very strange indeed. As a military robot he had all the possible rules and regulations programmed into him upon construction. These two military officers were very comfortable with each other. RL-3 had seen the Captain show concern over the Colonel when he was choking, and the same concern had been reciprocated when the Captain was reluctant to eat.

Perhaps it was the 200 or so years that had passed, but RL-3 made a mental note to remind them of the Fraternization rules as soon as the current mission was over.

The Colonel scratched his temple and moved down to his newly shaven chin. "Well Sarge. We've got a sort of sabotage mission planned. Primary objective is to get the transmitter from this Enclave outpost in order to hijack their radio transmissions."

RL-3 understood that. "Ah yes! Their President Eden communist son of a bitch is on there all day long. His words and the actions of his men reflect what a communist pig dog he really is. I hope he rots in hell for disgracing my country!"

Hoss growled happily. "RL-3, I think I may like you after all."

-----------------------------------

"Oh man… I'm getting Hunter Thompson flashbacks… please tell me we're not going down there!"

Rodney's near girlish whine only made Darrows laugh. "Doc… it's only for one night. Talon's probably looking for us and I'd rather not engage them again at night… not until you help me patch my suit together again."

Dephany sudden screeched and fired her weapon. "Ack! Help! Get away Get away!"

She fired madly, and Rodney spun around and instantly hurt his arm trying to shoulder the heavy assault rifle Darrows had given him. A pair of giant roaches had decided to see if Dephany was a friend or foe, and seeing the fountains of dust rising from her bullets, quickly deduced that getting rid of her was probably for the best. "Dephany!"

Darrows was beyond frustrated. With a not so calm demeanor he walked over to where Dephany was dancing around trying to avoid getting bitten, and promptly used his armored boot to crush one, then the other roach with a sickly satisfying splat.

Rodney had once had a roach in his apartment back on Earth, 4 cans of raid and 2 pairs of slippers along with a few broken pieces of furniture along with a very expensive laptop PDA thrown out the window later, and Rodney had forced himself to move apartments.

Darrows turned back, swayed a bit in place and waved off any assistance. "Come on, I'll be fine by morning and you two need rest. We've got _a lot_ of walking to do tomorrow and I'm really not in the mood to hear you two complaining."

Both Dephany and Rodney were now getting a little scared. The man in power armor was dangerous enough just due to his size, but now as he got angry it just got worse and worse.

They entered the Jury Street Metro Station, and almost immediately Rodney went for his nose. "P-U! Damn something took a crap and died in it down here!"

Darrows cracked and started laughing as he moved forward. He unholstered his Ion Pistol and held it casually. "Keep it up Doc! You might be a decent shot with that blaster, but the more relaxed you are the less likely you are to shoot yourself in the foot with it!"

Dephany growled in a very frustrated way, and quickly turned back and forth looking around at everything. "Lieutenant! Don't say that! I'm terrified enough as it is and coming in here is NOT my idea of safety!"

Darrows grunted, and signaled to an office nearby. "Well here Doc, I'll make it nice and logical for you. Upstairs, big fucking roaches, Talon Company, oh and did I mention Guai are all over the fucking place in these parts? Or would you rather deal with a couple of big rats down here and maybe a ghoulie?"

Rodney had little to no clue what any of those really were like, and couldn't help himself. "That's supposed to make us agree with being down here?"

Darrows grunted and opened the door to the office. "You got a gun, hell you got a fucking annihilator there, You said something about rewiring it so look around, these old Metro Offices usually had a Protectron and the tools to fix it."

Rodney furrowed his brow and saw something that looked akin to a phone booth ahead. "Protectron? The hell is a… AH!!"

Rodney instantly fell back upon looking into the phone booth's glass cover and knocked over a big pile of empty tin cans and dried out paperwork. The robot inside the container was by far the last thing he'd expected and he landed hard on a shopping cart as fumbled around with his pistol. Rodney could feel the grill pattern bruise into his posterior . Dephany rushed over to help him, even as Darrows closed the door and laughed mercilessly. "That my dear Doctor, is a Protectron."

---------------------------------------

John had to admit, RL-3's plan was audacious, but it certainly beat a direct confrontation. It was surprising to hear such a well thought out plan come from a near suicidal robot. "How much explosives do you estimate we'll need to crack that Enclave Power Armor?"

RL-3 hovered in place and barked out his answer. "No more than I've already detected in your possession! The hard part will be luring them into the trap!"

Alicia had leaned forward, and rubbed her knees as if kneading away some unseen pain. "What about actually planting the explosives? I'm guessing they've got eyes on the surrounding area."

RL-3 still remained unmoving. "Whoever said being in the Army was easy?"

John rolled his eyes and began to draw on the map he'd scribbled into the dirt again. "Alright… let's go over this once more before we get some rest." John drew out the Enclave outpost with a big circle and an E in the middle, then the surrounding roads as well as the cattle field they'd seen on their way in. the edge of his drawing was the rock face that separated Canterbury from the rest of the world.

Hoss grumbled and yawned, he'd been up for hours and more than likely he'd have to take a psycho to stay awake for the mission. "I'll be the bait. My Power Armor will give me the defensive advantage against their new Ion and Plasma Weaponry. Plus this baby should get their attention." He hefted his Minigun and gave it a few pats.

John nodded, and noticed Alicia being in very quiet contemplation with her knees up to her chest as she sat on the floor next to her. John didn't doubt that her feet were aching as much as his, so he'd have to see how she was coping once they were done. "I agree, but you should only get close enough to get their attention and still get out of the blast zone." John noticed that whenever he showed care for the lives of his subordinates, RL-3 became a little more aggressive, so he added quickly. "You're no use dead."

Hoss grunted and leaned back against the concrete. "Thanks. Your concern is heartwarming."

Alicia looked to John, and saw something different about the Colonel. He'd slowly been becoming more and more cold, impassive in the face of hard situations. It was difficult to tell whether he was just being a soldier, or becoming more callous. It scared Alicia to think the latter since John had turned out to be a surprisingly good friend in her time here in the Wasteland.

John continued not even noticing Alicia's concern, instead focused on RL-3 and Hoss. "Feel like giving him some fire support Sarge?"

RL-3 seemed to stiffen, and nodded with his sensor diodes. "If his Minigun doesn't get their attention, My hot plasma in their faces sure will! I'll also control the detonators for the explosives so they explore at the best possible time!"

John resisted palming his face, and thought maybe if when the time came, he could get Rodney to reprogram this robot he might actually make a pretty cool pet. "That's great to hear. But as far as planting the explosives, I'll…"

Alicia interrupted him. "I'll do it."

Everyone turned to look at her, John with shock, Hoss with bemusement, and RL-3 with pride. RL-3 was the only one to speak. "I concur with the Captain's assessment. She's much less likely to be seen."

John didn't know what to do. He couldn't refute the logic, but he didn't want her to risk her life in such a dangerous operation. "You sure Leese? It's going to take a few hours to sneak out there and plant these things."

Alicic nodded and let out a long sigh. "Well like the Sarge said, no one said this would be easy. Besides he's right. I'm a lot smaller and I can sneak around a lot quieter than either of you two… uhh no offense sir."

John huffed, and sighed reluctantly. He wasn't comfortable asking his subordinate to do such a dangerous thing. "None taken… but we're still gonna need you on that rifle if we want this to work… you'll have to do this tonight Leese. We can't wait much longer especially since the Enclave probably knows we're here by now."

Hoss scoffed. "Whose fault is that?"

RL-3 slowly raised it's weapons in gleeful contemplation. "RL-3 stands at attention, bring on the commie bastards!"

All three humans palmed their faces.

-------------------------------------------

"Actually, yes! This isn't the first time I've had to use stone age tools to work on something ridiculously advanced."

Dephany was assisting Rodney in attempting to rewire the Ancient Energy Pistol to accept micro fusion cells or the Fission Battery they had pulled out of the Protectron robot. She was impressed with the speedy way he quickly disassembled the handle where the power supply rested, and now used a bobby pin to adjust the capacitors inside. "We've opened this thing up before, but none of our attempts to make it work with our power cells were ever successful. We'd get a quarter of the power we think we need out before the cell fried and we're back to square one."

Darrows was off at the side watching, both the two doctors and the door. He'd come to some sense of being intact, and did what minor field repairs to his suit he could. "How long have you been studying that thing Doc?"

Dephany nodded quickly, another indication she was trying to cope with being out here. "Almost 10 years… we found it in Olney City near the power station there. There were only a few of these cells there with them so we've mostly just tried to mimic the energy technology."

Rodney froze. What they colloquially called an "alien power cell" was in actuality a tiny ZPM. He turned to look at Dephany in surprise. "Wait, have you had any success?"

Dephany shook her head. "No… all we've been able to do is reproduce the energy discharge to a certain degree. Our newest weapons use the same."

Darrows held his Ion Pistol over the table so Rodney could look at it and chuckled. "Rocket Engine in a wooden missile?"

The realization hit Rodney hard, and he couldn't help but wonder what else they weren't telling him. If they'd been able to reverse engineer an energy pistol… it was possible they could figure out more parts of the Jumper than he was hoping. "Wait… so you've based most of your technology off this weapon?"

Dephany shook her head, but then sort of nodded. "Well… sort of. We've got other alien technologies we've found. Most of our plasma and fusion technology came from studying it as far as I know."

"As far as you know? What?! Explain!"

Darrows rolled his eyes and decided. "Yeah… Listen, I've gotta go drown a ghoulie, I'll leave the history lesson to you guys. Don't leave the room."

Dephany instantly moved her chair closer to Rodney, almost subconsciously wanting to be near someone she knew could protect her. Rodney was completely unaware of her move, and when he turned with a quizzitive expression, was a bit surprised by her invasion of his personal space. "What does… whoa!"

Dephany put her hand on his shoulder and looked concerned. "What? What is is it?"

Rodney took a moment to get used to her hand on his shoulder, then smiled politely and looked back at her. The door to the room shut as Darrows exited. "Uhh… yeah… uhh Drown a Ghoulie?"

Dephany made a frustrated sound and tried to word it as politely as possible. "Umm… you know… going to the bathroom…to…"

Rodney understood immediately and grimaced lightly. "Ugh, that's… more than I needed to know…"

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A/N:For the Rodney lovers out there, Stuff happens to him in the next chapter… The kind of stuff that usually ends up happening to Rodney when he's on his own in unfamiliar territory.

If you're wondering _WHAT _happens to him, the only clue I'll give is that they're in the Jury Street Metro Station.


	21. Preparing to Swing

**Preparing to Swing.**

----------------------------

A/N: Sorry for the wait folks, Real life intervened. :p

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"Leese… are you sure you're okay with this? I mean…"

Alicia had gone right to bed in the rented room John had gotten from Joe Porter. John sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her. Both were obviously nervous. "Sir, I thought we agreed. I'm with you on this."

John sighed and rubbed his face. "I know… it's just this isn't some standard recon mission. We've really gone more than we ever would have normally. If things weren't so bad I'd…"

"But they are sir." Alicia interrupted again, she'd made her choice and knew what she had to do. "You're my commanding officer and I'm ready to follow your lead, I trust you."

John winced and put his hand down on her shin. Alicia was a little surprised and kept quiet as he spoke softly. "You need to understand something. I _never_ order my subordinates to take a risk when I can do it myself."

Alicia felt his hand rub her shin in sympathy, and sort of understood where he was coming from. "I appreciate that sir, but we stand a higher chance if I do it."

John held his tongue, the young captain beside him was serious and wasn't about to hold back. He could appreciate it… but it made him nervous. "Yeah… go to sleep Leese. I'll wake you when it gets dark."

Alicia nodded and thought that maybe John was having second thoughts about his mission… _their_ mission. She waited till he was at the door, and called out. "Sheppard…" He turned and faced her. "We'll get Dr McKay back… once we know where he is we'll have the Brotherhood to help us. We'll get him back sir."

John smiled, Alicia seemed to be getting better and better at judging what was bothering him. But even with her reassurance, he still felt guilty over bringing her along for what amounted to his personal mission. "Yeah, we will."

-----------------------

"Rodney… I really don't think you should go out there!"

Rodney grunted, and loaded the bullets into the .32 auto pistol Dephany had given him. "I need more tools, and Darrows is taking too long… It's been almost half an hour!"

Dephany cringed and hugged her arms. The Enclave Combat Armor she wore was warm, but still felt shivers. "Rodney don't go! Please… it's dangerous out there!"

Rodney hesitated, he needed more tools if he wanted to finish working on the Energy Pistol, he tried to be pragmatic about it. He could stay here and wait for Darrows, but now that Rodney thought about it, it was possible the man had simply abandoned them

It was fitting. The soldiers always survived. The scientists were the ones who hesitated and usually ended up food for the sharks, or in this case, mole rats.

So Rodney had decided, settle in for the night, finish rewiring the energy pistol, and set out for that town Darrows had mentioned in the morning. He'd only explore a few of the rooms nearby and hopefully find what he needed.

The 32 pistol wasn't exactly what he was hoping for in the area of self defense, but he hoped that the loud bang would scare off any wildlife that had chosen the train station as a home. At least he was reasonably sure it would kill any roaches he ran into.

A few steps out the door and everything seemed okay… nothing immediately trying to take a bite out of him, no creepy sounds that couldn't be rationally explained, and the pile of bones nearby were almost definitely animal… much too small to be human… At least that's what Rodney kept telling himself to not run out of there screaming.

He neared one of the other rooms and gingerly tested the doorknob, good, it still worked. The door swung open with a disturbingly movie like creak, and Rodney could almost imagine the axe murderer stalking him… _'Dammit! Stop thinking about stuff like that! This is just a subway… just an office… so what if there's giant rats and roaches in here trying to kill me? I've got a gun! What do they have? Teeth? Bah!"_

As he walked into the room, the door knocked over a chair that hit a table dropping the bottle of whiskey placed precariously on the edge. The shattering sent Rodney's heart rate from a trembling canter, to a full auto rifle. "Aaahhhh!"

He aimed the pistol, and quickly slammed the door expecting something to rush out, at least if they had to open the door to the main tunnel he'd have a good shot at whatever had reacted to him

When nothing came out, he breathed deeply, again cautiously opened the door with the gun at the ready, and smelled the distinct taste of alcohol in the air.

That was the last thing on his mind, getting drunk. But it was sort of understandable that a person who'd lived their entire life in such a desolate place might fall into that habit. He opened a few drawers, and perused some papers on desks. Other than some newspaper clippings spouting anti-communist propaganda, and the strangest book about Army Barbeque Recipes with a flamethrower that seriously creeped him out, there was nothing of interest in the room.

He quickly left, and feeling a bit more confident in himself Rodney decided to explore a bit more. These tunnels _must_ have some toolkits in these offices, I mean… how else could they fix the track and the crazy Robbie the Robot carbon copies they used?

-----------------------------

"Colonel! Sergeant RL-3 requests an audience! Sir!"

John was busy… busy doing nothing but worrying. "Yeah Sarge? You need something?"

RL-3 stood… or rather hovered at attention in front of John as he sat on a broken strip of steel siding. His voice was oddly diplomatic. "Sir! Sergeant RL-3 would like to make a possible intrusive question."

John furrowed his brow, and seeing as how little could stop the robot if it so chose, nodded. "Uhh yeah. I'm not very strict on pomp and rules when I'm out in the field. Speak your mind… or processing."

It was so strange to speak to a Robot like this. John had always assumed that by the time machines could have personalities like humans, something akin to Data from Star Trek would be around. To see this hovering tentacled creature with enough firepower to replace a squad try and be tactful with him…

RL-3 grumbled a bit, then spoke softly. "That is exactly what I wish to ask Sir. Why are you so easy going with your subordinates? We're here to follow orders and nothing else sir!"

John winced, and hoped RL-3 was more than just a fanatical soldier. "Well I guess you deserve the truth. I'm not actually part of your military. I'm from… far away." John quickly panicked and added quickly. "But you can rest assured, I'm no commie pinko…!" He recalled something he heard while at the Citadel. "Better Dead than Red!"

RL-3 seemed satisfied, and John could hear a whirring inside from the processing units. "I had assumed as much, From my scans you and the Captain are much less exposed to Radiation and FEV than anyone else I have encountered. Even the Lone Wanderer."

John raised both eyebrows. "Wait… Do you mean Robert?"

RL-3 stiffened in pride. "Sir Yes Sir! A finer soldier I haven't seen in many years! His whereabouts are currently unknown, but this Unit worked closely with him not even 2 weeks ago!"

John rubbed his forehead. This capital wasteland was going to give him an aneurism. "Ok… rewind a minute… you've known we're not… from here and you still decided to join us?"

"Sir Yes Sir! RL-3 has been built with personality and mission directive analyzers. To use a less technical term, a 'Karmic Scale'"

John looked up at RL-3 and blinked. "Excuse me?"

RL-3 repeated himself, it was so annoying that Humans had Earwax that made them hard of hearing sometimes. "Karmic Scale Sir! I have been programmed to analyze the actions and personality of those around me in order to evaluate the chances of success in my current mission!"

"Uhh… is that normal? I mean… aren't you supposed to be a soldier?"

RL-3 stiffened even more, John couldn't understand how this robot could look so damn proud. "Sir! Sergeant RL-3 is the latest and greatest version of the Mr Gutsy Line of Robotic Soldier! Experimental personality and software makes yours truly one of the most dangerous members of this man's army! Hoorah!"

Slowly, and very meticulously, John realized that this place was driving him insane.

----------------------------------

Rodney heard the ping, and instantly knew something very bad was about to happen.

It wasn't the fact that this subway was already incredibly dangerous no… and it wasn't the sudden feeling of dread that entered his mindset the instant he heard it.

Nothing that "Pinged" was good in Rodney's mind. And he was proven correct when a giant spiked wooden mallet swung from a rope, released by his breaking of the tripwire by his foot. The heavy trap slammed into Rodney's already badly bruised chest and sent him tumbling down the escalator.

His feet and hands rolled around and he could swear he heard them shattering as he fell down the almost 30 feet of stationary escalator stairs. The screams and grunts of pain he spat out of his mouth were unheard by any who cared, and when he finally slammed into the mezzanine below, the wind had completely left him and consciousness was a few levels of existence above him.

Rodney tried to call out for help, but knew that whoever had set up the trap was most likely about to come and either kill him and steal his stuff, kill him and eat him as they steal his stuff, or even worse, eat him, steal his stuff, and THEN kill him.

It wasn't long before some whooping laughter came in through the shallow groans of pain he gave, and crazed screaming let him know he was now a prisoner.

-------------------------

"Radio silence from now on. When you're done head back up to your position at the top of the cliff and ping us to give the signal."

Alicia slid heavy sections of her armor off, only leaving the most bare parts on. John accepted each plate and put it in his rucksack. The dark Kevlar underneath would serve as only a very minor protection, and stealth would be her greatest asset. "Got it… you have the map the Sarge made up?"

John nodded, and transmitted the information from his pipboy to hers. "Look, no risks out there. We've got no idea what kind of scanners the Enclave uses and…"

Alicia sighed and looked away. "I've got it sir… I'll be careful."

With that, Alicia slipped away into the night air. John was left alone, even as he stood next to a psychopathic robot and a gun crazy Brotherhood Paladin. "Now we wait."

--------------------------------

Rodney awoke to a splash to his face, instantly he knew something was very wrong as he'd been tied down to some kind of chair and he felt much lighter than he should. They'd taken his armor. The worst part of it was the splash while primarily made of H2O, had the distinct flavor of having passed through a creature already.

"Hey… looks like the little lost postman's awake!"

Rodney opened his eyes and instantly regretted it. The burning fluid in his eyes was blinding, and he couldn't even bring his hands up to wipe it away. "Postman!? What… who… where am i?"

A hand came across his face, and Rodney could instantly imagine the handprint left by it. "Ah! What was that for!?"

Finally he could see, the foul stench of bodily fluid drifting down his face and neck soaking his undershirt. He realized they'd taken his pants as well. "Listen little piggie, I dunno what the fuck you thought you'd find around here, but this place is ours and your little enclave's gonna hafta kill us all to take it."

He was surrounded, at least a dozen of them, dressed in various forms of disarray. Mostly men, and a few women who all looked as if they were extras from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. "Wha?? No! No I'm not part of the enclave! I don't want any trouble! Just please! Let me go and I'll never tell anyone you're down here!"

Rodney squirmed in his seat, the faintly yellow liquid had permeated through his underwear and he couldn't help but think of all the different kinds of infection, disease, and skin cancers that could arise out of his current situation.

He was in a subway tunnel, underneath the Mezzanine where he'd fallen. Rodney could see broken trains and destroyed walls. An entire little settlement was down here with plenty of beds, and a myriad of bottles, drugs, and other dark and foreboding paraphernalia.

The leader among them was now wearing the too big Enclave armor, his skin was pasty and charred from living under the wasteland sun. His teeth were crooked and yellow, splotches of blood and unshaven hair coming from all the wrong places. "How bout we just let the rats figure out what to do with you? Not like you're much use to us here other than…" Rodney felt a hand creep along his shoulder, and the ever so distinct feeling of a raspy tongue lick his ear. The fear suddenly made his legs quiver. "…New entertainment…"

The woman behind Rodney dug her fingers into his shoulders, and her nails penetrated his skin drawing small amounts of blood. "What! No! No no no… please, I can help you! I'm a scientist!"

The female hand tickling his shoulder sudden crept down and squeezed into his chest making Rodney groan with pain. The bruises which were now clearly visible seemed to excite the woman behind him "Ah, don't kill'em yet Zeke…. He looks like he could last awhile… more than that last guy we caught…"

'Zeke' chuckled, and licked his lips lasciviously. "Not till I get my share first…"

The lump in Rodney's throat grew, and the threat of what these people might do to him made him very very scared. "Uhhh... what… what do you people want with me?"

Another man stepped forward, and tossed something onto the table near Rodney. "You say yer a 'sigh and tist'? then fix that."

Rodney bit his lower lip as the female's hand behind him crept lower and lower. He took a quick glance and saw the broken plasma rifle. "Uhhh… may… maybe… i… I need tools…. A workbench… some… ahhh!!"

The female's rough leathery hands slipped under the band of his underwear and did something akin to caress, only without the "care' aspect of it. "Mmm!!! He's so CLEAN!"

Rodney nearly puked, _CLEAN_!?

---------------------------------

"She's a tough bitch you know. I saw her take out those muties back at GNR, Sniper is cold blooded."

John appreciated Hoss's attempt at consoling him, but it had been two hours since Alicia had set out and even as he used the power armor's helmet to scan the ground between the Cliffside and the outpost in the distance, he couldn't make her out. "I know… just… it's my fault she's here. I shoulda just ordered her to stay at the Citadel."

RL-3 made an inquisitive sound, then cocked it's diode to the side. "Captain Vega is a soldier. She would not willfully stay behind when there is battle to be had."

John smiled, and recalled when Alicia told him that she wasn't a coward and that she trusted his lead. "You're right of course. And I'm glad she's around. God knows I'd have gone crazy already in this place."

RL-3 turned to look at Hoss, then back to John. "Seeing your company... I concur with your alternate theory of your mental state!"

Hoss would have said something, but he just rolled his eyes and was glad that he wouldn't have to deal with this robot much longer. Working with John and Alicia may have been… interesting. But GNR needed him and he was not about to abandon that.

RL-3 changed the topic quickly, something that surprised John. "Judging from objectives, RL-3 is assuming there is a larger mission at stake than kicking the proverbial soap box out from under President Eden."

John chuckled, and felt a little surprised that it had taken RL-3 so long to figure it out. "You're right. At heart we're actually on a rescue mission."

"Who?"

John furrowed his brow, it was strange to speak to someone who instantly understood him and never needed to be repeated to. "Uhh… Dr. Rodney McKay… he's a scientist for… for my battalion… he deals with a lot of high tech equipment."

RL-3 seemed satisfied, and raised one of it's sensor diodes up and looked out. "Understood! Primary mission changed to rescuing Dr McKay via subterfuge and sabotage of Enclave operations!"

John sighed, and seeing one of the searchlights at the outpost begin to move a bit, fingerd the safety off his heavy assault rifle. "Let's get into position. Hoss head down to ground level to draw them in. Sarge, give him some long range fire support once the Captain comes back. I'll climb down halfway and lay cover fire for the two of you once they come after us."

RL-3 nodded his sensor Diode and barked in gleeful rage. "Time to burn some commies!"

John gave up. RL-3 would be the funniest thing ever if he weren't actually depending on him.

------------------------------

Rodney screamed as the switchblade found its way into his skin. Although technically it was between his skin and the fingernail of his right index finger, his screams did little if anything to alleviate his pain.

He'd been unable to fix the plasma rifle, it was just too damaged and there weren't enough parts in the scrap they'd given him to repair it fully. So now, as they enjoyed testing the limits of his pain threshold, Rodney cursed and screamed as his body convulsed.

"Come on Enclave piggy! I woulda thought they train you harder than that!"

Train Rodney?! These people really were as stupid as they looked! Were Rodney not screaming in anguish, struggling vainly not to cut his wrists from the wire they tied him down with, and least of all that hot wet raspy tongue sliding down his neck, he'd gladly explain to them just about everything that had happened to him.

The knife was pulled out quickly, and Rodney's blood seeped out and gave the chair he was on a disturbingly healthy red coating. As if sensing that he wasn't in enough pain, he suddenly felt his chair being lifted up.

They had attached the back of the chain to a winch, and now as the wires around his ankles and wrists dug in, he vehemently tried to hold onto the chair to keep it from digging deep enough to sever an artery,

He was in mid air now, floating as the chain that held him swung around. Rodney finally gained enough coherence and disassociation of the pain to stop screaming and instead bore the pain.

The Raiders began to laugh at his predicament, and a few tossed random objects at Rodney. Everything from dirty teddy bears, tins cans, to the occasional bottle that shattered against the chair and showered him with broken glass.

"So how ya like it cocksucker!? How long you think you can hang there till ya fuckin bleed out?!"

Rodney winced as he gripped onto the chair, it was intense agony to be in such an uncomfortable position, and at this point he was more than willing to cooperate. "I'm telling you! I don't have the parts to fix that thing! Please! I can help you with other things! Get me down from here please!"

The leader, Zeke, got a pensive look on his face. He motioned over to one of the raiders hoisting the chain. "Get im down."

The spindly looking raider holding the chain snarled back. "Fuck that! This piggy looks good like that! I'm gonna hook him up and play some ping pong with his balls!"

Rodney did _NOT_ like that possibility, but before he could word any sort of argument, Zeke pulled out a .44 magnum and with no hesitation blew the spindly looking raider's head off with a surprisingly well aimed blast. The chain he held instantly went loose, and Rodney fell almost 8 feet still strapped to the chair.

It shattered as he landed, and the distinctly agonizing feeling of wooden splinters imbedding into his skin created a whole new world of hurt in Rodney's mind. The wires holding him had come loose, but a half a dozen hands quickly grabbed him before he could recover and he found himself tied down to a table.

Zeke walked up and wiped the sweat, and possibly drool off his lips. He knelt next to Rodney and got a good hand on his shirt collar. "One last chance piggy… else we'll make you squeal like one fore I hook you and string ya up for my art gallery…"

From this vantage point, Rodney could see where Zeke was pointing. Corpses lined the walls on the side of the mezzanine and all had great big dirty hooks, chains, and even missing limbs hanging from them. These people were monsters, and killing was enjoyment to them. Rodney realized with a sad heart that President Eden just might have been correct. The Wasteland might not be worth saving.

------------------------------

Alicia held as still as she could. The spotlight was mere inches away from her and any movement might give her away.

She was close enough to the outpost to hear the Enclave troopers. The whining of the servos in their armor, the heavy thuds as they moved around, and even more disturbingly, the nonchalant way they described using a flamethrower to dispose of the bodies of those deemed "Unfit for life".

Stealth had always been something Alicia was good at. Her agility and flexibility gave her a serious advantage when it came to remaining unseen and at the moment it was the only thing keeping her alive.

She carried no weapons other than the plastic explosives with the remote detonators that she buried into the ground like mines. RL-3 had explained that the standard fragmentation mines they had available to them were just too weak to take out an Enclave Trooper as they were about as strong as the average frag grenade.

"Prolly just a rat… fuck em I'd rather eat C-Rats than actual rats."

Alicia smiled softly, and held her breath as the light moved off. This was one of the last charges, and also one of the most dangerous parts. She wanted to run, just get as far away from these incredibly dangerous people as possible. But that would only draw attention, and it would take just as long as it took to get here to get back to Colonel Sheppard.

The battle hadn't even started, and already Alicia was feeling apprehensive.

----------------------------

Rodney tried to pull out some of the splinters along his backside, but everytime he reached around, A sharp or barrel shaped object would press into a part of him. Usually that part was his bruised and rasped back, although this time it was decidedly lower. "Nyah!!! Please! I'm trying to get this working! That's a sensitive area!"

He was working on the remains of several Enclave "Eyebots" trying to piece together the small laser weaponry they used to ward off wildlife, the Raiders were interested in the energy weaponry as their small arms did little to nothing against Enclave Power Armor.

The Female raider behind him assigned to guard him stuck her hand into the back of Rodney's boxers. "Mmm… I think I'm gonna like you for a little while piggy…"

Rodney was trembling, but still somewhat coherent as to what he was being called. "If this is about my weight, I'm perfectly healthy! And I'm also hypoglycemic so unless I eat something soon I might accidentally pass out!"

The Raider grabbed a hold of his stomach and squeezed into him. As Rodney protested, he felt the knife come right to his neck. "You wanna eat? You're gonna have to earn it. Zeke won't give you jack squat till you fix this shit, but…"

Rodney could feel the emptiness of his stomach, and already he was getting dizzy. "But?"

The Raider kept reaching, and Rodney realized with a sudden horror what she wanted. "You're not sick,,, you're clean… I've never had clean before…"

It was horrifying to think of. Rodney realized that the Raiders had been living in squalor for so long, hygiene was a thing completely foreign to them. Thankfully (Or to some unfortunately) Rodney had never even felt the need to scratch beyond a little sweatiness. The concept that he could come away from this world with more than just radiation sickness… "Uhhh… I'm uhhh…"

How the HELL was he going to reply to this without getting some part of him badly injured or infected? Life was cruel, and Rodney always imagined the Ancients or some otherworldly being enjoying his constant and incessant injuries, both physical and mental…

----------------------------------

A/N: Oh no! Rodney is in some VERY strange circumstances! :P I decided to go for less physical whump (plenty more planned for later :D ) and more WTF whump :P

just finished working out storyboard until "Mothership" which i still have to play to make sure my idea will work.

I'll write more tomorrow and hopefully get some 10k words for the next update.


	22. Waking up to Reality

**Waking up to Reality.  
**

A/N: Posting this as i was late last week. will write more as soon as i can, Cheers :D

The Rodney lovers, There's waaaay more i've got planned for him.

---------------------------

"_God… if you're up there… please…PLEASE just this once!"_

Rodney never prayed… not honestly anyway. Sure he called out "oh god!" or "Sweet mother of…!" often enough to be a priest, but those were probably all considered blasphemous as he was usually in dire circumstances or… suggestive circumstances at the time.

So now as he felt the pair of distinctly feminine hands, but also the rough leatheryness of them, Rodney prayed, and he prayed HARD.

"Hey bitch! Fuck off with the piggy! Zeke'll kill us both if ya mess him up first!"

'_THANK YOU GOD! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!'_

The Raider chick who was feeling up Rodney let go and picked up a 2x4 on the floor. "Oh really? Who the fuck made you my boss tramp?"

Rodney shirked away, and looked for any kind of escape route, all he could see was the half finished jerryrigged Enclave Eyebot Laser. It would be another hour and dozens of parts before he could even consider firing it, so all that left him was the pair of pliers he'd found in the dilapidated toolbox.

"Fuckin whore! You'd fuck anything with a dick!"

"Least I don't suck Zeke off!"

At the mention of Zeke, Rodney tried to tune out the argument taking place behind him. Already he knew he'd probably been exposed to radiation and god knows what kind of contagions, and an STD was the last thing he needed.

So he focused on the parts the Raiders had in their inventory… lots of chemicals, drugs, and an assortment of parts like tin cans, lunchboxes, wrenches, etc…

One item in particular caught Rodney's attention it looked like a lunchbox with a motion sensor attached. It was hidden on the lower shelf of the workbench and taking a look at it, Rodney saw that it was rigged.

A simple explosive device, but as he opened it he realized just how destructive it might be. The Lunchbox had a rather large chunk of RDX inside in the shape of a cherry bomb, surrounded by sharpened bottle caps.

It made even the M-67 Frag Grenades that the Atlantis Expedition used look like a firecracker in comparison. It was actually quite simlar to Claymores.

"You're gonna die bitch!"

At the sounds of screams, Rodney turned and saw the two raider chicks begin to swing at each other with their weapons, One used a 2x4 with a nail at the end while the other had a crowbar. A pretty even fight.

The commotion had gotten the attention of the other raiders, and most gathered around simply to cheer them on. Rodney couldn't help but think of the Roman Gladiators and how entire populations derived fun from watching human beings getting torn apart in an arena.

The raider who wanted to… enjoy Rodney… ducked and threw a punch at the other, she cursed loudly as her fist hit the spiked metal plate covering the other's belly, but quickly brought up the 2x4 to block the Crowbar.

The other one, the one that was trying to keep Rodney from getting a rather nasty itch, fell back and kicked the other in the face with a quick snap.

Stunned, the raider fell back and cursed. Before the other Raider could bring the crowbar down and shatter her skull though, Zeke broke in and grabbed her wrist mid swing. "Enough! You won!" He looked down to the raider who had creeped Rodney out to no end and started chuckling. "Weak bitch." Zeke looked up to the other raiders and smiled. "Do whatever you want to her. Bitch is dead to us."

Before the raider chick on the floor could retaliate, the other raiders quickly swarmed her and picked her up. Her screams and attempts to fight back were all made moot as they quickly shred her of her clothes and carried her off with lewd cackles and unintelligible hoots.. Rodney looked away realizing what was about to happen and focused on the lunchbox in front of him.

It was difficult, but Rodney managed to concentrate on figuring out what chemicals would come in handy and how to best mix them amidst the female raider's screams of torment during the last ordeal she'd ever have to endure.

---------------------------

John jumped down to one of the lower rock outcroppings, he hoped that at this height, he'd be able to pour down suppressive fire using his heavy assault rifle, as well as draw attention away from Alicia who had the real heavy weapon. He tore a strip from his t-shirt and used it to cover his face like a bandana.

Using a pair of rocks like a bipod, he lay down in a prone position to expose as little of himself as possible. His hope was that he'd have a good shot from this distance and position, while taking as little return fire as possible. He remembered back on Earth going through sharpshooter training, and despite getting high marks, ending up in Pilot School instead.

Alicia had been gone for almost 3 hours. John had expected her to take awhile but worry nagged at him. Constant reassurances from RL-3 and Hoss were just barely enough to keep him from going out to find her.

Goddamnit… this was _his_ mission, _his_ desire to find Rodney. Alicia was new to Atlantis and already she was in a bad position. She might have been a soldier, and she may have already been in combat, but it was never John's intention to have to ask so much of her on their first mission together.

It was affecting them, in only a few days they'd gone from cool and frosty soldiers to hardened wastelanders. Rivet City was still fresh in his mind and despite all efforts to the contrary, John couldn't help but remember the way she'd almost cried after their meeting with Butch and seeing that dark haired man staring at her again.

Alicia had gotten better once they left the downtown ruins, and it seemed to John that she'd gotten more accustomed to the situation. As strange as it sounded, John was able to adapt easier to this kind of place after so many years of Pegasus villages. Certainly he'd been more prone to killing than ever before, but that was almost just part of going native here.

John realized that this place was changing him. Just like he now realized that this place changed anyone who lived here. John thought of something he'd heard in College, a quote from someone famous. "An armed society is a peaceful society, because you never know if your actions will cost you your life." Or something to that effect.

The Wasteland was pure anarchy, and from what he'd seen, the Brotherhood was the closest thing to decent society it had to offer. The only problem was that the Brotherhood was a warrior society, and John understood that for them, fighting was a way of life.

A warrior fights for honor, pride… a Soldier fights for his country, for his freedom, or for an ideal. John may have warrior tendencies, but he was a Soldier at heart.

John realized now that he should have ordered Alicia to stay behind. To help the Brotherhood with tactics… teach them special forces strategy to help in their fight with the Enclave… Instead of accepting her help to save a man who might not even be alive.

Rodney had a horseshoe up his ass when it came to survival. He'd blown up everything from labs to solar systems, and Rodney had always gotten away with little more than a few scars.

Rodney had to be alive. He just had to. John had sworn to protect the man and that's what he would do… the idea that he and Alicia were enduring this place for a dead man was just too much to bear, and John forced himself not to think about it.

His pipboy began to vibrate, and he looked at the little alarm that had gone off. A message appeared and his heart felt so much lighter. "In position above you sir… Nice butt."

It was the strangest text message John had ever gotten, but even though Alicia had technically broken the rules by flirting so hard with him, he understood that she just wanted to show she was alright and in good spirits. John quickly typed in a reply. "Nice to know someone appreciates it… Lock and load."

The battle was about to begin, and John hoped that by the end, he would be one step closer to getting the hell off this barren rock… and getting both Rodney and Alicia out of this place before it changed them like it was changing him.

What told him most that this place was changing him though, was the fact that right before the Enclave Troopers got into position. His will had eroded, his confidence had gotten so dejected, that John took out the Psycho syringe Hoss had told him about and injected it where the directions marked. Within moments, John felt a clarity that he'd only ever experienced during the most harrowing fights of his life.

Whoever had invented this drug knew what combat was, and that the person that does the most damage in the quickest time is usually the one to win. John could appreciate that… especially now, as he mentally prepared himself to kill those Enclave Troopers by hand if needed.

-------------------------

Rodney had found some chemical data sheets on the various drugs and chemicals he had access to. He'd be reading them if Zeke weren't next to him kicking him awake. "Wake the fuck up! You really stupid enough to fall asleep on me?!"

Rodney looked at Zeke, and mumbled as he felt the weakness permeate his body. "Hungry… hypo…glycemic…"

Zeke furrowed his brow, and slapped Rodney to try and rouse him. "Hyper glide see-mick? Fuck off with the big words!" He picked up Rodney by his collar and motioned to the Eyebot pieces below him. "You fix it yet?"

Rodney spoke softly, not realizing just how bad his hunger had gotten until it was almost too late. "… Almost… need… power…and… food…"

Zeke scrunched his face, and looked over his shoulder. "Hark! Bring Piggy some food and whatever he needs to fix this shit!" He looked back at Rodney. "If he fucks up again give em to the others." Tossing Rodney back onto the workbench, he scoffed at Rodney's groan of pain. "last chance piggy… else you end up like Cindy." He pulled something out of the stolen combat armors pocket and tossed it onto the table.

Instantly Rodney jumped back and brushed it away, he turned and since arriving in the wasteland finally puked what little was in his guts out.

Rodney had seen many things in his life, but never in his most terrible nightmares had he ever thought he'd see something like a person's cut off nipple land in front of his face.

--------------------------

Alicia sighted in, Hoss was running down the path and spooled up his Minigun. Moments later, dozens of 5mm bullets began to spit out of the rotary cannon and generally turn the silent night into a firestorm of weapons fire.

A few moments later, blobs of green plasma fired out as well. RL-3's aim impeccable as he easily decapitated one of the Enclave officers almost 400 meters away. Alicia figured she'd ask RL-3 how his aiming actually worked as she noted that even with the slow projectile, he still managed to make great shots from distance.

The battle was joined as lances of blue energy shot out towards Hoss and RL-3, along with Red beams of laser fire and the occasional bullet. The Enclave troopers seemed infuriated and charged forward.

Hoss fell back, his T-45d Power Armor taking a few hits as he drew the Enclave in. His voice on the radio was surprisingly calm. "Rrrgh… Fuck you Enclave!"

Alicia had to wait, the Enclave soldiers were falling right into their trap but it wasn't time to close it yet. 200 meters and she'd open fire.

Despite practicing aiming the heavy sniper rifle, she'd never actually fired the thing. It was nerve wracking now thinking of Hoss's words, 'Recoil's a bitch without power armor."

So Alicia put the rifle as snug to her shoulder as she could. More than likely it would bruise, but her newly replaced armor plates would likely dampen the blow. At least she hoped they would.

John was below, waiting for Alicia to take the first shot. His insistence at drawing fire for her was foolhardy, but in this case Alicia didn't mind. She didn't want to know what it was like to get hit with an Ion beam.

Those thoughts fell away and she sighted in on the furthers Enclave trooper, not just barely entering the kill zone. Sniping was a hard job, but Alicia had heard these Enclave troopers chatting about atrocities and felt little if any mercy as she silently pulled the trigger.

She curled up reflexively as the pain in her shoulder hit her. _'Holy SHIT! Dios mio… aii...' _ the pain was unbelievable. Hoss was right, the rifle had recoil and it was a serious bitch, much more than Alicia could ever want to be.

The heavy .50 cal bullet flashed out leaving a phosphor trail, it almost looked like a tank's cannon firing. Her cry mute only by years of training, not that anyone would have heard it. Alicia trembled as she bore the pain, and winced hard.

The bullet impacted on the chest plating of the Enclave trooper, Alicia's aim just a little south of what she wanted. The heavy armor plating warped under the hit, and the ceramic shield underneath went from a solid plate to powder as the kinetic force was absorbed.

The Trooper was knocked clean off his feet, his forward momentum in his legs spinning him like a top as he fell to the floor. Another trooper knelt next to him and covered him even as Plasma from RL-3 came in amidst the robotic cries of "I've got enough death for all of ya!! Courtesy of Uncle Sam!"

Alicia didn't bother to see whether she'd hit or not, as sudden cries of "Medic!" and "Sniper!" came in through RL-3's squad wide transmission. The Enclave troopers had only begun to realize how bad their situation was about to become.

Alicia bit her lower lip and breathed hard. She gritted her teeth and reloaded the bolt action rifle while holding back the tears. Her shoulder should would definitely bruise, and she may even need medical attention after, but now that the staccato fire of John's rifle below was covering her, she couldn't let her CO down.

John was overprotective of her, and despite wanting to tell him to shove it, she knew it was warranted in this situation. So Alicia kept quiet, breathed in deeply, held it, and sighted in again, this time prepared for the serious kickback.

She sighted on the leg of the Enclave trooper covering his fallen ally, and with no hesitation Alicia pulled the trigger.

--------------------------------

Turpentine and Abraxo Cleaner...

Rodney considered using them both to clean the horrible cooties (he couldn't think of a better word) off his body after his near violation.

They'd given him some unbelievably delicious 'Wonder Mole Rat" meat that was as soft and savory as the last barbeque he'd has with Sheppard and the rest of his team on the north pier of Atlantis. Sam had joined in as well and much fun was had… until they decided to go swimming and teased Rodney over his fear of sea creatures. Of course, seeing Sam in a bikini for real was worth it all. (Who knew she liked Pink?)

His body felt infinitely better, and despite the very real possibility of radiation, Rodney was just glad to have a full stomach. His skin was covered in dirt and dust from the abandoned subway tunnel,

Now though, all he could think about was Abraxo Cleaner, Turpentine, and that bottle cap explosive.

Seperately, they would make decent sized fireballs and explosions. But _together?_ Rodney had been forced to become something of an expert on demolitions in his time on Atlantis as it kept on happening. And his little shared body experience with Cadman had left him with the strange desire to blow things up for fun.

This wasn't fun though, and Rodney was almost finished with the makeshift Laser Rifle. The plan that began to formulate in his head was daring, and he knew Sheppard would approve.

So he silently poured both flammable and potentially explosive chemicals into the lunchbox, taking care not to spill any. He estimated that the explosion which already was enough to kill just about anything within 5 feet and severely wound anything else with it's claymore-like fragmentation within 20 feet.

The laser rifle might give him enough time to run away, and with pure luck he might avoid another trap as this time he wouldn't have armor to save him. Rodney's chest still ached terribly, and his fingers had blisters and scars from his torment earlier.

Scars would appear without doubt, the cuts and splinters would heal over time, if he had the time. By now, he had no doubt that Dephany had likely ventured out and was dead by some horrible wasteland creature. Darrows was likely hailing the Enclave to pick him up and go finish the reverse engineering of the Jumper.

The Enclave with space capable ships… that was scary. With their Armor it was possible that they could even give the Wraith a run for their money, and with time they could develop even stronger weapons than those he'd seen.

But that didn't seem as likely from Rodney's point of view, if people like these raiders could still exist…

--------------------------------

The explosion was massive, and surprisingly well timed.

RL-3 didn't feel emotion per say, but his loud scream of satisfaction as the Enclave Trooper was torn apart from the plastic explosive hidden in the ground right where he'd decided to make his stand could make one wonder.

The Enclave Troopers were caught completely off guard. Of the 5 Power Armored soldiers, only 3 remained and one was missing an arm from Captain Vega's excellent if a little sporadic sniper fire. Colonel Sheppard had jumped down from his perch several dozen feet up and waved to him, his face full of wrath. "Sarge, Hoss! Fall in! Take em out fore they get back to the outpost!"

RL-3 roared in fury, and raising his plasma emitter began to lob suppressive fire at the last few Enclave troopers as they fell back amidst more explosions from the well laid traps. "Yes sir! Torchin' the commies!"

John didn't have time to wince at the scream of acknowledgement, and aimed his rifle at the nearest trooper. The heavy depleted uranium bullets made loud pings as they either shattered or dug into the armored man, and slowly but surely John put him down from several head shots.

Enclave armor was tough, but not invincible as John was pleased to find out.

---------------------------------

Rodney took in a very, VERY deep breath, and waited for the last raider to get into position. They were having a meeting of sorts, probably to discuss how badly they were going to abuse Rodney… although abuse seemed too weak a word to use.

The laser rifle was almost done, all he needed to do was hook up the fission battery and it would have a few shots. Hopefully enough to hold off any raiders that thought to chase him. The souped up Bottlecap Mine was waiting, and Rodney stealthily primed it. He estimated a second or two for it to blow up once the sensor was activated, and prayed it was enough.

The raiders began to laugh and hoot, probably over who'd get to do what to him first. The guard near Rodney was distracted, his back turned as he listened in.

Timing… that was what Rodney needed. That and a cool line to scream when he acted. His only fear was that the explosion would be massive enough to bring the roof down on them.

Alas, Snark was not the same as wit, and Rodney remained silent as he flicked the switch on the lunchbox bomb, and like a bowling ball, swung it out into the middle of the group. In the same incredibly painful motion from all his wounds, he raised the pliers he had along with a wrench and struck out at the Raider guard.

None were expecting it, and the raider guard screamed as he felt the sharp end of the needle nose pliers penetrate his shoulder, and moments later the wrench shatter the back of his skull from the duel sneak attack.

Rodney jumped back and over the workbench, his back and chest screaming in agony along with his lungs. The sudden explosion was impressive, as was the fireball that licked around corners and brightened the room like a sun.

Cursing, screaming, and general disarray ruled the subway, and that was BEFORE the explosion. Now that fully half of the Raiders were turned into mangled meat, and the other half wounded and stunned from the shockwave. Chaos was the only way to describe it.

Rodney cursed as well, and attaching the fission battery they'd provided him turned the makeshift rifle on. The Enclave Eyebots used a weak version of the standard AER9 Laser Rifle, Technically called the AER8, it was slightly stronger than the AER7 Laser Pistol, but drew much more power for less effect.

Rodney didn't know this, nor cared, all he cared about was running away through the Raider Battlements and out of the raider hideout.

"Fuck! Kill that Enclave Son of a bitch! I wanna eat his heart!"

Rodney could tell it was Zeke, and for possibly sentimental reasons, Rodney wanted to keep his heart where it was. He quickly hid behind one of the raised tent flaps and silently made his way past.

A few moments passed, and from what it sounded several of the raiders had recovered. Probably those wearing the heavier leather and metal plates and hence, more armored.

Rodney didn't know how many times his rifle would fire before it burnt out, but definitely not enough to take out more than one or two of those raiders. Rodney had long ago lost the hesitation when faced with Wraith or Replicators. But shooting another Human being was always difficult.

He knew Sheppard felt the same, and for the first time felt sorry for Sheppard and the V'ger chick. He'd been relatively safe the past week and a half in Raven Rock despite a few dangerous situations, but more than likely Sheppard and V'ger were faced with dangers much like these raiders, or even worse, those Talon of Steel something or other Mercenaries.

No more time to think about that now, Rodney was almost to the escala…

"Ha ha! Gotcha Piggy!"

The Raider popped up out of nowhere and Rodney was trapped in his underwear. The Laser Rifle was too long and cumbersome to bring up, and the smiling Raider's Sledgehammer would connect before…

The raider suddenly screamed, and he convulsed as a sudden blue vapor overtook his body turning him to ash. It looked surprisingly like…

"_Rodney! Get down!!!"_

It was like something out of Die Hard. Alan Darrows in his heavy Enclave Tesla Armor slid down the Escalator with his heavy assault rifle spraying into the mass of Raiders. Above him. Dephany grimaced as she aimed the Ancient/Alien blaster that had just vaporized Rodney's attacker. "Darrows!? Where the hell were you 4 hours ago!?"

Darrows jumped at the last second and dropped like a bomb onto an already maimed Raider, his 10 mm pistol only making sparks against the Enclave Power armor. Darrows crushed him underneath and gave him a kick for good measure. "Where was I!? Where the fuck did you go!?"

Rodney ducked behind the Escalator wall and raised his rifle, he felt the sudden urge to use it, finally enraged enough to fight back and confident that with the missing Lieutenant's help, he'd survive to give Darrows a serious screaming at later. "You left us!"

Darrows emptied the rifle into a trio of Raiders who tried to fall back, the heavy bullets from the HA 70 Assault Rifle tore them to shreds and coated the area in their blood. His armor sparked as the remained 4 raiders including Zeke tried to take him down. "I told you to stay put! Leave it to you to blow this place the fuck up!"

Rodney aimed the makeshift rifle, and pulled the trigger. The azure red beam pulsed out, and was highlighted by suppressive fire from above as Dephany added her own shots. "I told you not to leave Rodney!"

The Raiders didn't stand a chance, and Darrows didn't even bother drawing his Ion Pistol as Rodney and Dephany put down the 3 raiders around Zeke. The Raider leader aimed his .44 magnum at Darrows and fired.

The heavy bullet sparked heavily, and Darrows fell back from the massive kinetic energy with a yelp of pain. Zeke emptied the Magnum hoping to score a kill shot, but only wounding the Enclave soldier, he realized just who he'd just enraged.

Darrows shook off the haze, and with his armor already damaged, sparks flying from the exposed wiring, He let out a roar of infuriated ire as he stuck his arms out in a demonically intimidating pose. Zeke screamed in horror and threw the one fragmentation grenade he had at him. Darrows simply swatted it out of the way, completely ignoring the shards of metal and smoke that blossomed in front of him.

The enraged Enclave soldier reached out and grabbed Zeke by his stolen Combat Armor. With one hand, he raised him up and slammed him into the husk of the train behind him. "By President Eden's Orders…" He drew the raider back again over his shoulder and slammed him into the wall with no mercy. "… I'm confiscating…" Again, he slammed the huge raider into the train like a ragdoll. "… This stolen Enclave Armor!" Darrows threw the raider to the ground, and grabbed him by one leg.

The raider screamed as Darrows began to drag him up the sharp escalator steps. "Fuck! No!!! Please! Goddamnit please!!! I don't wanna die!!!"

Darrows was merciless, swinging the Raider back and forth with impunity, breaking bones and cutting his skin to ribbons. "Furthermore…" with little effort, Darrows drew the raider up by his leg and lobbed him up the remaining steps onto the mezzanine above.

Rodney had once played Max Payne 2, and he realized just how realistic Ragdoll physics engines could get as he saw the Man crumple against a ticket stand, then curl around it as he fell to the floor. Most of his limbs were in impossible positions, despite the armor being relatively intact.

Darrows walked up to the pleading man, and unceremoniously picked him up. Dephany was huddled and covered her head with her arms, weeping loudly. "… Doctor Rodney McKay is a guest of the Enclave…" Darrows lifted the broken man by his collar, and the raider's blood bathed the Tesla armor in a demonic manner. "… And it's my job to keep him safe…" Darrows walked over to the edge of the mezzanine, noting the walls covered in rotting corpses. "… That means you pissed off the wrong guy today."

With a final scream, Zeke begged for his life. Darrows remained impassive, and with a roar of wrath, shotputted the raider across the open gap above the raider encampment, and slammed him into the opposite wall at least 30 feet away. Zeke shrieked in agony, but was silenced as he fell and landed face first into the train track, his brain matter spewing out as his head quite literally exploded.

Rodney had climbed up the stairs, and panted with his hands on his knees as he looked at Darrows. The Enclave Trooper turned to him without expression and muttered. "Next time… Listen to me when I say stay put."

Rodney was in too much pain to snark back, and was glad that his memory was strong enough that he'd remember this when he woke up, and promptly fainted, or rather passed out in front of Dephany.

--------------------------------

John hopped over the metal embankment, felt the energy hit against his torso, ignored it, and unleashed the hell of his rifle into the Enclave Officer cowering under the desk where the shot had come from. The depleted uranium bullets tore him to pieces, and little was left of his upper body that could be called distinctly human.

RL-3 had pinned one of the wounded Enclave Power Armored soldiers with one tentacle, and used his flamethrower to cook him in the suit amidst screams of pain. "Nothing I like better than Broiled Communist! Ha ha ha!"

Hoss was impassive as well, using his Minigun to percolate the other 2 Enclave Officers who had tried to fall back into the night.

John had taken a few hits, but for the most part his Combat Armor had stopped the bullets and all he'd have is some soreness. Nothing a stimpack couldn't fix he'd found. The one thing that had surprised him was just how angry he'd gotten during the fight. The Psycho he'd taken to give him an edge was much stronger than he'd anticipated, and his arms were still shaking, the veins on his neck still pulsating hard.

He walked over to the soldier RL-3 was roasting and with the last bit of his clip, put the man out of his misery. John's enraged panting seemed to spread, as RL-3 began to roar in victory. "Kill em all and let God sort em out! Hoo-rah!!"

John looked around, the outpost was theirs, and they'd taken no casualties. He looked to RL-3 and muttered between clenched teeth. "You in one piece Sarge?"

RL-3 turned and saluted. His almost scream seemed to be almost human in emotion. "Never better Colonel! I'll kill anything that threatens the success of our mission!"

John couldn't help but feel just _slightly_ better at that. RL-3 seemed to have sworn his allegiance albeit in a very aggressive way. Hoss walked over with a noticeable limp. "3 Enclave troopers down…" he paused, and saluted the Colonel. "Best fight I've ever had. Damn proud we did this."

Something nagged at John, through all the rage he felt boiling over in his muscles, the pain from the wound in his side. He realized the most important part of the mission was still uncertain. John clicked his radio and tried to keep his voice from growling. "Captain Vega… please come in…"

It took a few moments, but Alicia's strained voice came in over the radio. "Colonel… I'm here…"

The pain was evident, and worry filled John's mind. Had she taken fire? Were there some aspect that they'd missed and Alicia had to pay for it? John trembled and looked to Hoss. The Brotherhood paladin had heard Alicia's strained voice as well and nodded. "Go, I'll grab the transmitter."

John didn't hesitate, and began his run back to Alicia, it would take a few minutes, and John hoped she was alright. He clicked his radio again even as RL-3 and Hoss grunted in victory. "Come on Sarge, Gimme a hand figuring this out. Maybe you'll find true love with this thing."

RL-3 spat back, almost gleefully to John's comical horror. "RL-3 needs no Physical Love! RL-3 finds satisfactory pleasure in giving all the pain he can!"

John didn't care, all that mattered right now was Alicia. "Captain! Report!"

Alicia's strained voice came in even as John began his flat out run, the Psycho in his system pushing him to Ronon speeds. "Colonel… I'm…"

She couldn't finish, and John knew why. Soldiers didn't show pain, Soldiers were hard, and for all intents and purposes, Soldiers didn't bleed. John knew better though, and his own voice filled with emotion. "Alicia… I'm coming… hold on."

Alicia couldn't reply. Her lips quivered as she lay on her back and simply concentrated on not screaming. The heavy rifle had kicked back so hard the ceramic plate in his shoulder padding had cracked, and she was sure her collar bone was broken. It was a strain just to breath now. "We… we did it… right?"

Her mind was a fuguish haze, She knew this was the driving edge of shock, and soon her body would lose consciousness just to spare her the agony. John's voice came over her radio reassuring her. "Yeah… yeah we did… so hold on cuz we have to celebrate…"

Alivia let a low chuckle out, and as she felt the endorphins begin to kick in laughed into her radio. "Ha ha ha… what'd you have in mind?"

Alicia couldn't help but think of Rivet City, and she knew Sheppard must have caught the insinuation as well. She wouldn't mind cuddling up to Sheppard now, the man was in great shape and Alicia wasn't dead. Somewhere in her mind the Frat Rules kicked in, but damnit it's not like she was going to just… well it didn't matter. They'd be home soon with any luck and they could go back to hardly speaking.

But mostly what Alicia would kill for right now was morphine, that and a warm bed to fall asleep in for the next few weeks. Alas, all she really expected was crazy drugs, and probably the Sarge giving her some words of tough love and soldierly advice.

Alicia's eyes shot open as she remembered the last time she'd been wounded with a Gutsy Robot nearby. And with fresh memories of seeing RL-3 pin a power armored soldier to the ground, the fear suddenly overrode any thoughts of passing out. "Colonel… don't let the Sarge near me… please… and hurry."

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A/N: Surprisingly, I got most of this done today. It's strange, I get spurts of Muse every now and again and it usually ends up something like 3-10k words when I'm done. Then again I'm working on like 4 different fics so :P

There you go, Rodney has burst his wasteland cherry so to speak. Next chapter soon, I promise! :D


	23. Division

**Division**

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_A/N: Sorry for long delay, but that's almost SOP for this story. I'm working like 4-5 plot bunnies I've gotten and I typically dedicate my time to those others. Not to say writing this isn't fun, but I write those others to improve my art. This is just pure stress release as who doesn't want to see Rodney come apart? Or Sheppard be a… well a Sheppard :p_

_Mostly Rodney this time. His major arc is coming up in the next big segment of the story, since everyone seems to love Rodney I modified Fallout 3 to fit the needs :D ENJOY! _

_------------------------------------_

_Thump… Whir… thump… whir…_

That's all Rodney could hear, and as far as what he could see, It was all dark and metallic. Smell had left him too, his nose plugged up with dust and unable to do more than take in the basic amount of air to survive.

_Thump… whir… thump… whir…_

As far as what he could _feel_ though… that was a completely different story. Rodney could feel EVERYTHING. He could feel the splinters in his back, each slowly worming their way into his body and threatening 6 different kinds of infection

_Thump… whir… thump… whir…_

Rodney could feel the dry sensation drugs gave in his body, his tongue numb and limbs useless. Whoever it was that had him now had doped him up something seriously and now he was in Rodney's Subconscious Funland! All that was missing was a whale.

_Thump… whir… thump… whir…_

The pain was the most prevalent feeling of all though. His fingers stung, his head ached, and his groin… _"oh crap! It burns! What'd they do to me?!"_

_Thump… whir… thump… whir…_

Rodney tried to scream, tried to get someone to listen to him, but all he could get out were single words of a sentence that barely made sense. _"Stop! Don't! Listen! Sterile!"_

They stopped. The thumping and whirring ended. Rodney was set down and he realized what the sound was. Alan Darrows had picked him up and was carrying him through the wasteland on his power armor. Power Armor that looked like it had seen better days.

Darrows didn't wear his helmet, and putting Rodney down gently on a rock, he felt softer hands… feminine, so unlike the leather paws that had been roughly handling him for hours earlier. Rodney latched onto them like buoy's in a storm and didn't let go.

Darrows knelt and examined Rodney. "Wow, I woulda thought you'd be out for hours. I gave you enough Med-X and Stims to knock a guai out."

Dephany was holding Rodney up, he was wearing his combat armor again, although sections were missing now from battle damage. "He's still very sedated lieutenant. Is there any chance we can stop for a few minutes so he can recover?"

Rodney tried to speak, but only mumbled something about numb tongue.

Darrows gave Rodney a very gentle pat on the shoulder. Looking around, he nodded. "Alright, but try and wake him up quick. I don't like traveling in the dark… never know what might be out here."

Dephany nodded and quickly began to try and gently bring Rodney out of his drugged up fugue. A few gentle slaps, some reassured hugging, and some rubbing of his shoulder and verbal communication returned to Rodney's repertoire of abilities. "Dephany?"

She nodded, her face looked like she'd been days without sleep or showers. "Yeah Rod… I'm here… So is the Lieutenant."

Rodney shook his head, slowly clearing his vision. He needed to know… he just needed to know. "Burns… why does it burn?"

Dephany furrowed her brow, then tittered slightly as she leaned over and hugged him "Oh uh… I uhh.. sorta had to use a stimpack… or two.… down there… the anti-biotics should keep you from… well… it's over now Rodney. You'll be okay but a doctor might be a good idea to visit."

Darrows murmured, loud enough for both of them to hear. "Goddamn raider freaks. Who the fuck cuts a chick's nipples off?"

Rodney recalled the moment, and finally the ordeal was mentally catching up with him. "They… they were going to…" He couldn't help himself, and with Dephany close… pulled on her for comfort.

She noticed instantly and gave him a tight embrace. "I know Rodney… i… _we_… we killed them all… I finished your modification to the alien blaster… it'll take any power source now but only a few shots before the battery burns out." Her voice was surprisingly calm, but he noted a lack of emotion.

Rodney was surprised, Dephany didn't seem like the kind of woman to knowingly kill another person. Perhaps she had more survival instinct that he gave her credit for. Let alone the concept that this bumbling almost dumb blonde had actually figured out how to finish the conversion to a more readily available power source. "What? How'd you…? Oh never mind… just… am i… I mean… I'm not going to…"

Dephany kept on hugging him, and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Rodney wanted to tell her that he'd been dirtied quite severely, but getting kissed was always worth silence. "No… you're alright Rodney. Darrows has been hiding his skills and is actually a pretty competent medic. He and I gave you a look over after you fainted and we found out what they'd done to you. We cleaned you up, gave you some medical aid, and now we're heading to that town Darrows saw on patrol."

The only word able to describe Rodney'd mindset was _elated_.

--------------------------------

Alicia woke up to a soft feeling beneath her head, and surprisingly, not much pain in her arm.

It was in a sling, that was sure, but the excruciating feeling of the broken bone digging into her muscle was gone. And even better, the distinct smell of something delicious was drawing her more and more conscious. "Hey, you're awake."

Alicia turned slowly, and saw John's half smiling face as he held her still in bed. Well… she did say she wouldn't mind cuddling up. Guess John must be something of a mind reader. "Hey… how long…?"

John shrugged in reply. "Bout a day. Found a doctor. Gave you some treatment. Turns out most of the merchants were holding back because of the Enclave and once we took em out, they all showed up and uhh… 'gifted' us some pretty cool stuff in thanks. Doc Hoff says another few days for partial use, a week tops and you'll have full use of your arm." He didn't mention that he'd also gotten more psycho and buffout, in preparation for what he considered a suicide mission.

Alicia tried to get up, and feeling a sharp pain in her arm quickly fell back "Arggh… okay…okay… I'll believe you."

John chuckled softly, and pulled a plate of meat closer. "Lots happened while you were out. Canterbury Commons is… peaceful again."

Alicia didn't care, she just reached for the plate of food but stopped short. "Uhh… not that I don't trust you… but what is this sir?"

John snorted, and took a piece for himself. "Dog. Figure it's better than rat or ant meat."

Alicia shuddered. "_Ant meat? _Oh god… this is just a big joke isn't it? Somewhere out there, somebody's laughing at us having to actually make it through here."

Again, John snorted and laughed softly. "Figure it's the ascended ancients. Can't stand most of em."

Alicia reached over and grabbed the least disgusting looking piece of the charred meat, and took a ginger bite. "Not bad… but seriously, Dog?"

John simply rolled his eyes in reply.

Alicia slowly ate, not having realized how famished she was. Her armor was starting to fit loosely and she realized she was losing weight. Seeing as she was already quite lean, it wasn't exactly the kind of weight loss she wanted.

Once she had eaten enough to ensure she wouldn't starve, she accepted the canteen of water John handed her. Never before had Alicia been so glad to have clean water than now as she had seen the irradiated mess that came from drinking dirty water.

Her stomach decently full, she slowed down and simply rested. "Hoss and the Sarge?"

John scoffed, and shook his head idly. "Hoss is sleeping. Guy took a laser to the leg and needed a break. The Sarge…"

Alicia noted how he drifted off, and turned to face him .Her arm in the sling would take awhile to get used to, but thankfully it wouldn't be around for my longer. "Yes? The Sarge…"

John furrowed his brow, how to explain what RL-3 had done? It certainly surprised the HELL out of John the robot's actions. "Well… I told him I was gonna make sure you're okay and to please make sure you're not disturbed. I figured he was just gonna guard the door and… float there stoically like he usually does. Next thing I know, he leaves town for a few hours and brings back both the Mechanist's and the Antagonizer's costumes."

Alicia raised both eyebrows. "What!? How the hell… what'd he…"

John kept her down, making sure the Captain didn't strain her already bruised body. "Whoa! Relax… I don't know what he did. He just took off when I asked him and the next thing I know Roe comes and gives me the 200 cap reward for getting rid of them." John started laughing, and it wasn't exactly the kind of laughing Alicia wanted. "I think the Sarge might have a crush on you."

Alicia groaned loudly. "Oh god… don't even joke around. I've dealt with enough psychos and none of them have ever had flamethrowers…" She thought silently at what RL-3 must have done. Certainly men had tried to impress her before… but a _robot?_ "Any idea what he did?"

John shook his head and sighed. He knew damn well they were both dead. RL-3 had made it clear that he'd burned out an entire colony of ants before turning the Antagonizer to fertilizer, then went to the factory where they had been ambushed by the Radscorpion and turned the Mechanist's own robotic forces against him before setting them all to self-destruct. It didn't seem right though to burden Alicia with that knowledge, and he'd ordered RL-3 to keep it from her as well.

Alicia sighed heavily, and rubbed her arm to try and comfort herself. "Guess he must have chased them off. 'Pansy ass general wannabes' indeed."

John chuckled at the thought, and grew a bit more serious. "Yeah well… I've been thinking about it. Now that we're gonna know where Raven Rock is. I want you to stay at Galaxy News. Hoss told me they send armed couriers back to the Citadel and…"

This time Alicia fought to push away. The pain in her arm could wait. "What?! Sir! I thought we agreed!"

John sighed and looked away from her. "Look Captain. This is my mission and I have no right to drag you along. I figure Carter's working on a way to get to us if the gate's been disabled. And worse comes to worst, Daedalus is back in Pegasus in 4 weeks. A month at the Citadel training them is the safest place for you."

Alicia wanted to scream at John, instead she went right for the most obvious reason. "Is this because of my arm?"

John hesitated a moment, then muttered. "Not entirely."

"Then what? Do you think I'm going to slow you down or something?"

John wished he'd been a bit stronger with the rules. Regretting developing this camaraderie wasn't an option though, and now John had to try and convince his subordinate to follow his orders… with more than just a stern voice. "No. I know you're more than capable. But this place is fucked Leese. _I'm_ the one who wants to save McKay… and I have no right to order you to come along."

Alicia scowled, and refused to meet John's gaze. "You told me to speak freely sir… so here it is. If you try and ditch me at Galaxy News, I'm just going to ditch _them_ and come after you."

John was expecting some resistance to the idea, but her threat sounded serious. "You know I'll have the Sarge with me. God knows he just wants to kill anything I tell him to."

Alicia winced, was glad John didn't see it, and sighed. "I can deal with the Sarge… But you're not leaving me behind."

John rubbed his face and tried to think of a way to get her to understand. "Leese…"

"Alicia." She blunted.

John was a little taken aback by her sudden resistance. So he donned his Lieutenant Colonel hat and laid down the law. "No. _Captain Vega."_

Alicia herself was a little offended that all of a sudden they were Captain and Colonel again. Perhaps she had gone a little too far. "Sir."

John made it as quick and painless as possible. "Captain, we're going to deliver the transmitter to Galaxy News, Three-Dog is going to zero in on the Enclave, and you're going to go with Hoss's courier team back to the Citadel to await evac from Atlantis. Is that clear?"

Alicia didn't reply.

John raised his voice just a tad. "Is that _clear_ Soldier?"

Alicia sighed heavily out of her nose, relenting she dropped her voice. "Yes…"

John's Colonel hat still didn't come off. "Excuse me _Captain_?"

Alicia finally turned, and with an unemotive face stared back at him. "Yes sir!"

John resisted sighing, and instead just got up. "We're leaving tonight. I'm going to be dealing with those merchants to get the supplies we're going to be needing. RL-3 will be right outside."

Alicia kept the ice in her voice. "Yes Sir."

John winced outside her view, and opened the door to the outside. Perhaps it wasn't what she wanted, but no one else would be getting hurt because of his own refusal to give up on Rodney.

---------------------------

"Alright, we're getting closer to that town. I see smoke from some fires and my scanners are picking up some robotic signals."

Rodney was silent. There had been little talk of what almost happened to him and in a way, he was glad. But in another way, he felt alone… Sheppard would have at least attempted some consolation by now and Teyla would have mothered him. Ronon would have… well Ronon would have stood guard stoically, and probably feel horrible for allowing such a thing to happen.

But these Enclave people… it was almost like it was standard protocol to gun down a dozen people and not even sweat it. Rodney was still reliving the moment where Zeke was begging for his life… and as much as he hated to admit it, Rodney wanted him to die.

The feeling of leathery hands on him was still vivid, but disassociation was helping. He kept imagining Jennifer soothing him… doing anything to bring his mind back to some level of sanity… only now there was yet another blonde face appearing as well… and it wasn't Sam.

Rodney wasn't a killer… oh sure, he'd killed before. It was part of life in Pegasus, but killing was more than just a part of life in the Wasteland, Killing was a hobby. To some, Killing was even an Art.

Lieutenant Alan Darrows was one such man Rodney now knew. His impassive words as he beat the life out of Zeke showed him just how far a man can be pushed when it came to survival. The fact that he was part of the Enclave seemed more a contrivance, his loyalties lied with himself and none other.

Dr Manning was different… she'd been raised in the Enclave as well, but their indoctrination held more firmly. Rodney could see that she knew little of the world outside Raven Rock, but seemed almost like him in some respects… the whole actually getting something done while under extreme duress impressed him. It wasn't easy to have guns pointed at you and still succeed.

Rodney had noticed that he'd changed somewhat as well… a long time ago he would have quickly succumbed to the harsh reality of the wasteland. Probably eaten by a Deathclaw or a pack of roaches, neither appealed to him… although what had happened in the subway was still raw… it still hurt to think of what might of happened.

"Lieutenant… I think perhaps you should stick further back. These people may think because you're wearing power armor you're a threat. Maybe me and Rod should go in first and see if they'll agree to take us in."

Rodney agreed with Dephany, and even as he hopped from one rock to another on the rough terrain, he panted out his answer. "Yes!... i… I think *pant* think that's *pant* a good idea…*pant*."

Darrows growled softly, but then nodded. "Alright, but take this."

He tossed the small Ion Pistol at his belt to Rodney who caught it in a fumbling three stooges like manner. As he finally got a good hold of it, he stepped on something. Something… icky.

Rodney looked down. "What the… AHHH!!!!"

He instantly shirked back and fired at the ground, the azure blue beam pulsed out, hundreds of ionized particles followed the beam of energy and a searing hot line was burned through the offending foot trap.

Dephany turned and aimed, then screamed in shock and rage. "_Rodney!_"

Darrows simply chuckled, and patted Rodney gently on the shoulder as he pulled him along. "Uhh… next time, try and shoot something that isn't already dead."

Rodney simply remained quiet, his inner rage boiling over as he wiped the gooey remains of giant Ant Carcass off his boot. By this point, he wasn't even going to question the ridiculous size of the ant with any real show of his perspicacity. "That's a big fucking ant!"

Darrows simply continued chuckling, and jumped up onto another rocky outcropping. "Town's about a klick that way. You two head in. I'll hang back and cover you. Any trouble and they'll get a nice burst of ol'painful here."

Rodney shuddered slightly at Darrow's patting of his heavy assault rifle. The thing looked like it had come straight out of _Aliens_ and Rodney wasn't looking forward to seeing it in action so soon. He simply remained quiet and motioned for Dephany to follow him.

They fell into a beaten path, and soon they could see the gate of Megaton, one of the last true towns in the wasteland. Neither knew what lay at its core, but soon that knowledge would spread… just like the radiation it still emitted.

------------------------------------

"_Colonel."_ Alicia made no attempt to hide the contempt.

John simply ignored it, and motioned for her to fall in line. "Come on, I got some new weapons since that rifle isn't gonna do you much good with your arm in a sling."

Alicia opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. It would take 2 days to get back to Galaxy News and she had plans to annoy the hell out of Sheppard for being such an overprotective brother figure.

Alicia had a brother… an older Brother. He'd become a business man and quickly amassed a small fortune. But he wasn't happy, his expensive car… the silver rolex he wore… not even the two hundred dollar hair cut gave him the joy that Alicia felt in her job.

She knew she was different, being a Military Officer was a different kind of job… only a certain breed are geared for it. Granted, Alicia just liked guns, but there was more to it.

She was part of something important. Alicia Vega wasn't just another 27 year old woman who was looking for her prince charming to pay the bills while she pratted around at home. Alicia had seen her mother work hard, and pay the bills for her and her brother to go to University. Her father had forced himself as well, and eventually his heart just couldn't take the pressure even with medication.

Alicia still missed him, but in the last few years she'd found a new family, one that cared about her, one that didn't pay attention to her good looks, one that cared more about her abilities and skills rather than her outward appearance.

So when John coddled her like this, even under the circumstances, she felt betrayed, dishonored even. The worst part of it was that he was acting under good intentions.

As much as she hated to admit it right now, She'd actually prefer the company of RL-3, a true soldier, than that of John Sheppard, her Commanding Officer and now, source of antagonism.

Sheppard remained silent as well, leading to where Hoss had gathered their new possessions. Moira Brown had been understandably elated that she could go back to Megaton, and had worked out a deal with the other merchants to supply John with needed supplies.

Despite John's apprehension at having Alicia around for even the return trip to Galaxy News, he wasn't heartless. It had cost a little extra, but by convincing Hoss to give up the heavy sniper rifle and instead going with something a little lighter, they'd more than had enough worth of trade. Lucky Harith was very pleased with his new acquisition and had gifted them something special, something even John had to admit was cool.

A Wattz 2000 Laser Rifle. A much more powerful version than the cheap boxy version the Brotherhood had given him, it used a chemical process to amp up the beam and turn it into a serious cutting weapon instead of a burning weapon. Its armor penetrating abilities would come in very handy, and he wished Alicia were in the condition to use it.

In the meantime though, he'd use it, and just lug the HA 70 Assault rifle Hoss had given him as it was still useful. The Protectron's Gaze laser pistol RL-3 had… liberated from the Mechanist and given John would go to Alicia until she could handle a two handed weapon again. Along with Grenades, she would still be able to protect herself for the return trip.

Hoss kept his Minigun, perfectly content to use the metaphorical garden hose of bullets. But he did accept a few upgrades to his armor courtesy of Crow, the Tribal Armor peddler who had also repaired Alicia's armor and added a new dampening plate to help absorb shock better. John had instead traded his now cracked and burned armor for a mix of armor plating stolen from the Enclave Outpost. He was a bit heavier now, but it was the closest thing to power armor without actually slowing him down. Hoss compared it to Pre-War Heavy Combat armor issued to flamethrower or "Inferno" units in the army. John certainly liked the idea of heavier weaponry.

The gear they had stolen, which other than power armor turned out to be mostly ammo and rations would stay with them. The power armor was hidden in the field, booby trapped to all but them. They would give the Brotherhood the codes so a recon party could recover the armor later for use in their battles… even if it turned out to be broken from the explosion, the parts were still useful.

The weaponry was traded, and John was overflowing with caps now. Even Hoss was surprised at how much the merchants wanted the Enclave technology… so much that they were perfectly willing to wash the blood of the Enclave men who had died with said weapons in their arms. John knew better than to parade around with stolen technology, it was just going to get them noticed and that was the last thing he wanted.

The only problem in fact that they had was they now had too much, and even as John loaded himself to the limit, there was still more to take. Hoss was almost encumbered, and Alicia wasn't able to take much either in her condition. So John looked to RL-3 and screwed his face. "You got a trunk on that caboose?"

RL-3 nodded his sensor diode and opened up a compartment. "RL-3 comes with everything a good soldier needs, but can help with carrying inventory if needs require."

John noted a few things in there already, and he questioned the Robot. "looks like you've already got a little collection. What you got in there?"

RL-3 used one of his tentacles to pull out the various doodads. Some of the weirder things were a pair of Bobblehead toys, one in a stealthy pose, and another with a laser rifle. Nothing much of it was useful, and John could tell Robert had used RL-3 as a backup storage for his… well… for lack of a better term, Crap.

Most intriguing were 4 holotapes. Alicia noticed and motioned with her head. "What's on those?"

RL-3 turned and kept his voice professional. "Captain! These are the tapes of the Keller Family taken approximately 230 years ago! They detail the family's attempt to survive the nuclear engagement by taking refuge in a national guard depot!"

John scrunched his face, and he shook his head idly. "Uhh… seriously? You mean it's got the voices of people from over 200 years ago?"

Hoss picked one of the tapes up, and shrugged. "Don't see too many of these still intact. The Citadel would love to see what's on em. Robert must have picked em up in his travels."

Alicia was tired of being a second banana here, so she grabbed one and attached it to her Pipboy. "Why wait?"

John opened his mouth, but kept quiet. He was curious as well. The tape attached to the Pipboy and was soon downloaded into the device. Turning on the playback, a woman's strained voice came in amidst static. _"Mom, it's Candace... Oh my God, it's really happening!"_ The sheer panic in the young woman's voice was entirely evident, and all three humans instantly became alert._ "I can see the cloud... it's so big... Mom, I'm so scared." _John felt his body begin to tremble, and he could see the fear and apprehension in Alicia's face as 'Candace' continued her terrified rant._ "I'm heading to the Vault now. I'll do whatever I can to get inside. My number of the passcode was "7," right?" _The tape ended.

All three humans were silent, they had just heard what could have possibly been the last words Candace Keller ever spoke. RL-3 simply hovered, either unwilling, or just not caring what a disturbing moment had just occurred.

John took a deep breath, swore he'd never allow something like that to happen to anyone in his command, and sighed. "Let's go… Three Dog needs that transmitter… and I need to forget I ever heard that."

-----------------------------

"Wel-Come… to Mega-Ton. En-Joy… Your-Stay."

Rodney shuddered a bit at the Robot's disjointed words, but he felt his heart strings tugged by the man sitting outside begging for help. Dephany had stopped Rodney from assisting and pulled him along. She looked like she was near tears as well.

Once the giant doors opened, they were greeted by a dark skinned man who wielded a clunky looking assault rifle, as well as a giant cowboy hat. "More Newcomers… Name's Lucas Simms, I'm the town Sheriff, and Mayor when needed. What brings you to Megaton?"

Rodney peered over his shoulder, and saw something that piqued his attention near the bottom of what he now was beginning to realize was a crater. Dephany spoke quickly, shakily, and entirely terrified. "Sheriff.. Mayor.. whatever… We came here hoping to find a radio or more importantly a Doctor… my friend's been hurt and he needs medical attention."

Simms grumbled softly, and adjusted his hat. "Well now, it'd be mighty impulsive of me to just accept some strangers in. So why don't you give me your names?"

Dephany obviously never dealt with wastelanders before, and didn't know that knowledge is power… and dangerous. "I'm Doctor Dephany Manning, and my friend is Doctor Rodney McKay."

Rodney was still silent, he examined carefully what was drawing attention from below. Someone was preaching… actually preaching some kind of deity at the basin of this crater.

Simms grunted, obviously a little taken aback by these newcomers. "Well now, Since you're _both_ doctors, why the hell should I let you see ours? Seems like that armor's pretty new too… _Enclave_ new..."

Rodney had veered off now, and he slowly trudged forward down the hill. Simms kept a watchful eye on him, but seeing his son Hardin with a hunting rifle scope him, knew he had trained his son well.

Dephany continued completely obliviously. "Well… yes. We are from the Enclave, at least I am. I was hoping to…"

Simms growled loudly and leaned forward. "Then maybe you can tell me what the hell happened to Nathan… and why his wife Manya is convinced he's dead?"

Dephany knew nothing of a Nathan, and she saw Rodney silently put one foot in front of the other, apparently in total awe of something. "Pardon? Sorry I don't know any Nathan… the Enclave is so large I don't know everybody."

Simms silently flicked the safety off his assault rifle, and took a step back from Dephany. "Why are you here? Is the Enclave coming? How many soldiers are with you?"

Dephany finally caught on, and held up her hands trying to convince Simms she wasn't hostile. "No wait! We're not here to fight! Please! Our Vertibird was shot down and we've been on our own for 2 days! Rodney's hurt, and Darrows…"

Simms perked up, and he looked behind her into the wastes. "You've got another guy here? Where is he!? Tell me or I'll let you rot in the sun!"

Rodney didn't pay attention to any of the commotion behind him. The dull gunmetal black of the object lying in the pool had enraptured him. It looked so tantalizingly familiar and now, as he heard the preaching of the man in the pool, he slowly realized just what a mad world this place really was.

_"Behold! He's coming with the clouds! And every eye shall be blind with his glory! Every ear shall be stricken deaf to hear the thunder of his voice!"_

Rodney knew about atomic weaponry, and even more, this mad preacher sounded suspiciously like Oppenheimer, his own world's Father of the Atomic Bomb. In many ways, the splitting of the Atom really was a holy… or in this case, unholy moment.

_"Yea, your suffering shall exist no longer; it shall be washed away in Atom's Glow, burned from you in the fire of his brilliance."_

Fire? Suffering? Of course he wouldn't suffer anymore… he'll be suffering for god knows how long from the amount of Radiation that thing must be leaking into the water… burned indeed, Radiation had some rather interesting effects… if you considered mutation, and wasting away interesting.

_"There shall be no tears, no sorrow, no suffering, for in the Division, we shall see our release from the pain and hardships of this world."_

Division!? Was this man serious? Was he truly so mad that he didn't understand that mutation was a PROBLEM? If he wanted release so bad, why didn't he just shoot himself? Praising what Rodney now realized with shocked horror was an unexploded nuclear bomb… and the fact that an entire town had gone up around it was just too much, and Rodney's vocal cords disconnected so his brain would have the processing power needed to form his upcoming scream.

_"Come forth and drink the waters of the Glow, for this ancient weapon of war is our salvation, it is the very symbol of Atom's glory!"_

That was it. Killing one's self is bad enough, but actually _encouraging_ other people to waste their lives… and with Radiation Poisoning?! This was worse than the Genii! At least they were willing to accept help in their radiation sick people!

Rodney kept his voice at a somewhat tolerable level, of course, Tolerable to him was seething enough to the people around Confessor Cromwell that they took cover as he began his rant. _"ARE YOU COMPLETELY FUCKING INSANE?! DO YOU HAVE ANY COMPREHENSION IN THOSE 2 HALF-BRAIN CELLS YOU STILL HAVE LEFT?! RAY-DEE-A-SHUN!! AS IN YOUR BODY IS LITERALLY BURN-ING AWAY YOU SINGLE SPERMED CELLED WASTE OF A BRAIN!"_

He'd lost control, everything that had happened to him had built up and release was the only thing left for him. Confessor Cromwell simply smiled to him and opened his arms. "Come now… Let Atom's holy waters bath you in the glow… you shall give birth to a trillion stars, each a galaxy in itself…"

Rodney's answer wasn't exactly what Cromwell hoped, and the few armed Citizens of the town now readied their weapons… just in case. _"NO! NO! NO IN FACT, I WILL __**NOT**__ GIVE BIRTH TO A TRILLION, OR EVEN A SINGLE STAR IF I BATH IN YOUR RIDICULOUS NOTION OF A DEITY'S GLOW! MORE LIKELY I'LL END UP IN A BED CONVULSING AND HAVING ALL MY BODILY FLUIDS SEEPING OUT OF EVERY CREVICE IN MY BODY! I HAVE NEVER EVER WANTED ANOTHER PERSON TO DIE IN MY LIFE BUT YOU ARE SERIOUSLY TESTING THAT LIMIT OF MINE!"_

Simms had quickly rushed down, and his assault rifle pointed right at Rodney's head. "You quiet down now, I haven't killed a drifter in a few weeks and I'm getting mighty antsy!"

Dephany added too, putting her arms around Rodney trying to calm him down. "Rodney! Stop! Please stop!"

Rodney looked back at Dephany in horror. _"DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS? THIS IS AN UNEXPLODED ATOMIC BOMB! WHAT KIND OF UTTERLY IMBECILIC PEOPLE BUILD A TOWN AROUND A BOMB?! TELL ME… WHY DOES THIS EXIST? WHY IS THIS MOMENT IN TIME HERE? NO SENTIENT LIFEFORM SHOULD BE THIS STUPID! WHY IS THIS BOMB STILL IN ONE PIECE AFTER 200 YEARS?! EINSTEIN WAS RIGHT! HYDROGEN AND STUPIDITY ARE THE BIGGEST THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE!"_

Simms neared Rodney, but seeing a trio of men rush down from Moriarty's knew he was about to get some backup. "Calm down! The bomb's defused! It's not gonna go off!"

Rodney knew just a _little_ bit more about bombs than the average wastelander. _"AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT ALRIGHT? YOU DO REALISE THERE IS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL IN THERE DON'T YOU CALAMITY JANE?! HUH? HOW EXACTLY ARE YOU GOING TO EXPLAIN TO EVERYBODY AROUND HERE THAT UNLESS YOU GET RID OF THE RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL, EVERYBODY IS GOING TO DIE BY THE AGE OF 30 FROM CANCER, STERILITY, AND ANY OTHER FUCKING GODFORSAKEN THING RADIATION DOES YOSEMITE SAM? HUH!? EXPLAIN THAT FUCKED UP QUESTION THAT SHOULD NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE NEED TO BE ASKED?!"_

A newcomer to the debacle spoke out, his drunken voice oddly comical despite the circumstances. "Hey! I fuckin diffused that fucker like weeks ago… fuck! It was MONTHS ago! No way is that big cocksucker gonna blow."

Rodney turned to the voice, and saw a younger looking man with a beard and drunken expression being held up by another young man with impressive hair and a older rough looking guy, all were armed and wearing combat armor. _"OH REALLY MR YOUNG ENOUGH TO BE IN HIGH SCHOOL? YOUR NURSEMAID TEACH YOU THAT? YOU GET RAISED AT THE SCHOOL FOR THE TODDLERS FOR NUCLEAR SCIENCE ACADEMY?! YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT AN ATOMIC WEAPON TO DISASSEMBLE ONE TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S COMPLETELY INERT!? YOU'RE A COMPLETE FUCKING MORON! THE VERY FACT THAT THAT BOMB HASN'T DETONATED IS SHEER PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE AND MERCY OF GOD! "_ He turned to Confessor Cromwell _"AND NOT THE FUCKED UP BELIEF IN SOME CRAZY RADIATION HEAVEN YOU BELIEVE IN! I ACTUALLY WANT TO PRAY THAT YOU __**DO**__ GET WHAT YOU WANT SO YOU CAN SEE HOW… I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE LACK OF INTELLIGENCE YOU POSSESS! IT'S LIKE A GIANT SINGULARITY OF IGNORANCE AND I'M AT THE EVENT HORIZON! SOMEONE SAVE ME! SOMEONE PLEASE PULL ME AWAY BEFORE I'M SUCKED IN AND NEVER ESCAPE THE UTTER DUMBFUCKERY I'M SEEING!! AT THIS POINT, I SIMPLY DON'T CARE ANYMORE! I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE!"_

The newcomer got a good look at Rodney, and did an exaggerated double take. He used his hands to express his genuine disbelief as he tugged his hair. "Uhh… _**Holy fuck! It's you!**_ Fattie! Uhhh fuck! What'd Sheppard and Vega call you?!"

Rodney completely missed the obvious clue, and instead fell back as Dephany held him trying to console him. He landed against a barstool, easily pushing it aside as it rolled down into the water. He leaned with his back against the table of the Brass Lantern as he wept mercilessly. She begged hard and held her hands up to keep the others from just opening fire. "No wait! Please! He's been through so much! Please!"

Rodney was panting hard, his hyperventilating was threatening his higher reasoning centers, but nothing could hold him back now. Almost 2 weeks of repressed anxiety was coming out, and it was pure dumb fate that there had to be an atomic bomb in the way. _"No!... No! This is fucked up! Why the hell is this happening?! First I get shot down and tortured… then i have to help those same torturers so I don't get fed to some over sized hellspawn gila monster! Then Eden goes all soft on me even though I'm still looking for my friends and convinces me to stay…"_

The drunken man, now sobering up just a tad, continued to scream at Rodney. "You stupid fuuuck! I'm trying to tell you! Your friends are looking for you!"

Rodney didn't even hear, and Lucas Simms sidestepped over to the man and began to whisper to him. Rodney simply continued his panic attack induced freakout. _"… I actually let you people talk me into it… I go with you all… then I get blown up in a godforsaken subway tunnel and put back together with some uberadvanced medical voodoo!"_

Dephany hugged him and kept trying to calm him down by rubbing his shoulders and patting his face, but Rodney was having none of it. This had to come out and it had to come out NOW. _"Then you… yes you! You beautiful dumb but still kinda smart buxom blonde… You have to freaking hold my hand and smile while I'm getting my ass reamed out by a roto-router because your food plugged my colon up!"_

Some of the people in the crowd who were paying attention to Rodney's completely dominating rant began to crack and laughed at his description. All three of the newcomers began to laugh mercilessly, it being by far the funniest thing they'd heard in a long time.

Dephany was a little taken aback, but she still tried to bring him to some semblance of reality. "No! Rodney! Come on! You need to calm down!"

Rodney continued, It really never ended at this point. _"NO! NO NO NO NO I will not stop! I've been trying to survive this fucked up planet for the past 2 weeks and all I keep getting is pain! Roaches nipping at me… bombs blowing me up… women who feel like construction workers trying to make me a blowup doll!"_

Now some of the crowd were worried, Rodney's screams were sounding more and more like a madman. The older man holding the drunken man was still laughing, but the drunken man was in more shock now. He reached over his back and began to fumble with something.

Rodney's rant continued, his limbs becoming numb and head light from the constant screaming and breathing. _"It's too much… I can't… NO! NO! NO! STOP! Just STOP! WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY AND PURE WOULD YOU BUILD A TOWN AROUND A NUCLEAR BOMB!? NO! NO! MUTANTS I CAN UNDERSTAND… MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME TOWN I CAN UNDERSTAND… VAULTS I CAN UNDERSTAND… RAIDERS I CAN UNDERSTAND… FUCKING CRAZY RAIDERS THAT CUT EACH OTHER'S NIPPLE'S OFF AS THEY RAPE SOMEONE TO DEATH I CAN… NO! NO! NO!"_

The Drunken man had pulled a large contraption out of his backpack, and the older man next to him laughed even harder when he saw it. The other younger man did a slight double take. "The fuck? Where'd you pick a Mezzer up from?"

Dephany heard the word, and looked over. She recognized the weapon and knew everything was about to change. "Rodney! Stop! Please! You have to stop this now!"

"_NO! NO! NO! SHEPPARD! V'GER! KIRK! CHAYA! SUPERMAN! SAVE ME! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SAVE ME…! SAM! JENNIFER! XENA! CONAN! BATMAN! HERCULES! NEWTON! ANY ONE OF YOU! JESUS! ALLAH! BUDDAH! ZEUS! PROMETHEUS! RA! GET ME OUT OF THIS NIGHTMARE!"_

The drunken man took a few lurching steps forward, and muttered loudly. "Hey! I'll take care of em… I know the fucker… I uh… yeah I'll fucking deal with him…" He turned to the other men and mumbled. "Jerry, Butchy… this the fatty I tolds you bout! Fucking enclave got 'em!" he turned back toward Rodney. "Maybe not so fat anymore…"

Dephany saw the man aim the Mesmetron at Rodney, and feeling for her own safety ducked out of the way. He fired the strange weapon and Rodney instantly felt ridiculously light headed… but… it was a good light headed.

All of a sudden nothing hurt anymore, all of the aches and pains his body was letting out had been released. As if his brain was given a clean wipe by whatever he'd just been hit with. He began to chuckled mindlessly, and didn't know what was so funny. He also felt very… generous… like he would do anything someone asked of him if they asked nicely. "Huh…? Wha.. wha happened? Who are you Mister?" Rodney smiled, and presently went right to sleep, or rather unconsciousness.

The drunken man chortled, it was obvious he'd had waaay too much to drink and his expression said it all. "Me!? I'm the Lone fucking Wanderer!" he raised one fist in the air and began to pump it wildly as he screamed in wild jubilee. "_**And I'm a fucking HEEEERRRROOO!!**_"His smile eroded, and he chuckled almost ruefully. "And… and I have to fuckin… I have to fuckin… _leave_…"

With the final word, the man finally dropped to his knees amidst sobs and crumpled to the floor in a drunken stupor. Half his body landed in the pool of irradiated water but thankfully his head was still out of it so there was no danger of drowning. Both of his friends behind tut'tut'ed and muttered to themselves as they pulled him out. "Damn, this fucker never did learn to drink did he?"

The younger man turned to the older one and shrugged. "Eh… it's an art form, but he's learning."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Alan Darrows stepped into the crowd with his helmet off, he held his hands up in cooperation and just looked utterly confused. Lucas Simms looked at him oddly but seeing he wasn't acting hostile decided to save the ammo. Darrow's voice was just mildly stunned as he scratched his head. "Uhh… someone wanna fill me in on why my buddy is passed out in front of a nuclear bomb with another guy in front of him drunk and pissing himself? You know… just a _little_ curious?

---------------

a/n: Rodney's rant was fun to write :D


	24. Questions

_**Questioning  
**_

A/N: Ugh, most of this was written on my blackberry while commuting around Toronto Canada. Being an Electrical/HVAC apprentice does not leave much time for writing. Don't worry folks, i'm still working on this any chance i get (i'll dedicate my blackberry time while commuting to it. How's that?) and now that i'm not going to be working 2 jobs i should have a little more time to dedicate to writing :P

Still 3 weeks to go (or possibly more) in the story! one final week till the showdown at Project Purity and i've even come up with a good storyline for the time between Fallout 3 Main quest and Broken Steel!

Again, sorry about the delay in writing this. I'll strive to get more done ASAP.

-----------------------------------

The trip back to GNR was going slow. Not only was the heavy equipment they carried slowing them down, but John didn't want to risk either Alicia or Hoss getting even more hurt especially after all they'd been through already. Sergeant RL-3 keep floating along, every once in awhile stopping and announcing that he was on the look out or scanning the surrounding area.

The desolate wasteland only made the sudden silence between John and Alicia even worse. Although both were still just as annoyed by Hoss's singing as before. _"I… don't want to set the world-on-fire!"_

Alicia didn't want to set the world on fire either, but she wouldn't be too against setting John's boots on fire for treating her like a little girl. Her shoulder was still hurting a bit, but she could already start to move it without extreme pain.

It just felt like such a betrayal. She was a soldier dammit and he should know that. Soldiers aren't supposed to be pushed out of harms way, they're supposed to dive into it, and deliver twice as much back. Alicia keenly understood what war was about, being a sniper/sharpshooter in Iraq had taught her that it's kill or be killed, and the enemy doesn't give you a second chance.

As a Sniper she had learned to shut her emotions off at times. A Sniper is one of the only types of soldiers who saw the face of their enemy, and knew that with just a hair pull of the trigger that enemy would meet his maker. There was no emotion, no anger, just a pure cold hearted and impassive knowledge that the job needed to be done.

Alicia was a good sniper, a _damn_ good sniper. She'd scored very high marks and quickly qualified for special ops. That was why she was here in the Pegasus Galaxy, that's why Major Teldy had specifically asked for her… and that's why Sheppard had really _really_ pissed her off with his over-protectiveness…

"_I… just want to start a flame in your heart."_

Hoss's singing was like recording the sound a mole rat makes while rubbing a cheese grater on it's stomach and playing the recording backwards. Even RL-3's auditory receptors were bothered by the noise. _"Paladin Hoss! Might I recommend making a recording of your singing ability to assist in pest control?!"_

Hoss stopped singing and grumbled softly. _"I can never tell if you're offending me on purpose or just crazy."_

RL-3 stiffened and turned to Hoss. _"This soldier sees every available tool at his disposal! Your voice is actually not too dissimilar from the RobCo Screaming Weasel Pest Control device issued to specialized Protectron units for Subway clearance!"_

No matter how angry Alicia was at John, seeing his suddenly shocked and awed face slowly turn to RL-3 with the most cute confused face she'd ever seen raised her spirits just a tad.

--------------------------------

Rodney felt incredibly… Wait? What was this feeling?

He'd learned long ago that feeling was only electrical impulses the brain interpreted from his nervous system. So he decided to go over them one by one categorizing them by senses.

What did Rodney smell? Hmm… he smelled some… _thing_… it was strong, and oddly… attractive? What the deuce?

What did Rodney taste? The ever so distinctive taste of sweat, dirt, and what appeared to be… hair?

What did Rodney hear? He heard… a radio? Something about setting the world on fire? What else? Ohhh someone breathing. Was it him? He sure hoped so. Otherwise this was quite frankly a rather disturbing out of body experience.

Now what did Rodney see…? Hmm… he opened his eyes. It was dark and very… brown… and red. Those two colors really did go quite well with each other. Except that most of the time when Rodney saw those two he was screaming in agony from an arrow in his gluteus maximus.

There was something else though… it looked like… Christmas lights? Yes! It did look like Christmas lights! They were wrapped around what looked like wiremesh… and.. what the? The wiremesh had a shape, a very _distinctive_ shape indeed! Two separate shapes in fact!

The wire mesh was shaped like… 2 people… cuddling... in a very suggestive pose. What the hell was going on?!

Rodney finally began to listen to his last sense, what did he feel? Hmm… he felt… disoriented, sluggish, probably dehydrated. What else? Hmm… he felt his battered body cry out for medical voodoo, where oh where was Jennifer and Carson when you needed them?

There was something else though, and by adding this feeling to his others he could finally deduce where he was. At least he could interpolate. He felt… a woman beside him,

Yes! He felt the distinctive feel of a woman lying next to him cuddled up for warmth! Yes that was exactly!!

Wait… Where… were… Rodney's… pants!?

He jolted out of the bed and darted his eyes around, seeing a few lockers, a stairway leading up to a catwalk, as well as dozens of bottles of alcohol and various other… paraphernalia, the person lying next to him stirred awake. _"Rodney!_ Oh my god… you're awake!"

Rodney's answer seemed… muted. Something was holding back his ire. "Uh… yeah, that's usually what happens when you're in bed for… wait. How long was I asleep?"

From behind him, a ridiculously pleasant voice answered his question. "Good Morning Sir! You have been asleep for the past 12 hours, 26 minutes and 42 seconds!"

Rodney turned, and suddenly his fear jumped back even as he did. "AHH! The hell!?"

The Mr Handy robot hovered politely, and nodded it's head in a gentlemanly way. _"_I'm afraid your sentence appears somewhat incomplete sir. Might I assume you are inquiring as to what I am?"

The woman who was lying next to Rodney pouted as she woke, and Rodney saw that she wasn't wearing her armor or any pants either. _'Oh crap! What the hell?!' _"Uhh… yeah… I uh… last thing I remember is…" Instantly it all came rushing back to him, and yet again, Rodney shrieked in horror. "OH CRAP! Ohmigodohmigodohmigod! Are we still in Megaton!?"

Dephany groaned softly and rubbed her head. "Rodney! Calm down… a lot's happened."

The Mr. Handy Robot seemingly noticing the lack of attention, began to float off and generally tidy the area with his three tentacle arms. Dephany kept the covers around her midsection and held one hand up trying to calm Rodney down even as he trembled in a wide plethora of emotions. "A lot!? You mean we're still less than 50 feet away from what could potentially destroy several square miles!? Do you not see the lack of common sense here? Do you not understand that this place is completely and utterly fucked!?"

Another voice came in, unpleasant, loud, and obviously stressed. "I told ya before but I guess it didn't stick. I pulled that bomb's teeth out months ago… fuck it was like the first thing I did outta the vault."

The young man who had earlier shot Rodney with the mesmetron dragged his feet as he lethargically made his way down the stairs. Dephany quickly got her clothes on, faster than Rodney would have thought possible, and sat up looking at him. "He's right Rodney, I took a look at the bomb and it's completely inactive. It would take some serious engineering to rig it to blow again."

Rodney was _damned _ confused. What the HELL was going on!? "Alright… I'm only going to say this once. RAY- DEE- O- ACK- TIVE MATERIAL! As in RADIATION leaking out and making you all crazy!"

The hungover man chuckled softly and waved over to the Mr Handy. "Hey Wadsworth, give em some water. Figure he's pretty fucked up what with everything." He looked over to Rodney as Wadsworth began to fill a few bottles of water. "Well maybe we're all sane and it's _you_ who's crazy."

Rodney shook his head vehemently, wished for his pants yet again, then pointed at the man aggressively. "NO! Dammit if the world's crazy and I'm sane, of course everyone's going to think I'm crazy! Why in god's name would you build a town around a BOMB!?"

The man yawned loudly and picked up a syringe from the shelves near the fridge he was now standing beside. He calmly injected it into his shoulder, then with a satisfied sigh muttered to him. "You know. I said the exact same thing right 'fore I disabled it. Man… Doc Li and Rothchild are gonna love you."

Rodney was having trouble digesting everything that was happening, but he finally found his pants near the bed that was… what the hell!? The bed was shaped like a heart!? The hell kind of apartment was this!? "Li and Ruthkid? Oh no! I'm not going _anywhere_ till I get some answers!"

The man pulled out some food from inside the fridge and set it on a platter. He moved towards Rodney and tossed him a bottle of the water Wadsworth had collected. "Figured as much. Don't expect much though, Butchy's trying to kill me with his…" the man made air quotes. "…_consolation._ I swear the guy's gonna need a new liver by the end of the week."

Rodney didn't understand what the hell he was talking about, but seeing that he'd just woken up in a bed with Dephany, especially since neither of them had pants on, figured that while he might be relatively safe, Darrows was his most likely source of somewhat reliable information. "What'd you do with Darrows!? And what the hell did you shoot me with?"

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"You makin' a move?"

Alan simply scoffed at the rough looking older man as he pulled out his ration bar and rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't know if I did."

Jericho growled softly, and his hand hovered near his assault rifle. "You wouldn't be the first Enclave bastard I've fought."

Darrows simply smiled in his direction across the table and deadpanned. "No but I'm pretty sure I'd be the last."

Butch had been used to seeing Jericho fight. But he'd never seen this type of standoff as even before the former raider could level his gun, Alan Darrows had his Ion Pistol pressed against the man's forehead. How the hell could he move so fast in such bulky looking armor? "Whoa there! Calm down ya gun nuts. Don't think Moriarty's gonna like havin' ta wash blood off his floors again."

Jericho stared at the encased Enclave soldier. Not a speck of his skin showed and he knew the fight would most likely be one sided. So he instead smiled, and pushed the bottle of Vodka on the table forward. "Well… maybe I should listen to Rob and start some… fuck what'd he call it? Dicklomatic negunseeahuns?"

Everyone within earshot winced at the horrible slaughter of the English language.

---------------------------------

"Sensors detect hostile fauna, Recommend testing Paladin Hoss's repellent!"

John checked his laugh, and instead unslung the Wattz 2000 Laser Rifle. "Where? What is it?"

To his side, Alicia immediately crouched and pulled the Protectron's Gaze Laser Pistol out. She closed her eyes and listened intently. Before RL-3 could respond she already made it out. "Over there! Whatever it is it's big!"

Hoss used his suits hydraulics and jumped up onto a rock jutting out of the ground. He looked over in the direction they'd mentioned and gasped in shock. "Mother of…! Deathclaw! Open fire!"

His minigun span up and within moments the hose of bullets began to fly out. John made out a very fast motion just behind the small hill they had passed by and aimed. Alicia kept low and along with RL-3 took opposite flanking positions.

The Deathclaw leapt out and seemed to absorb the hail of bullets from Hoss's minigun, with a deft swipe, it knocked the Paladin off the rock and easily 10 feet to the side in a shockingly powerful move. Hoss screamed as he landed on the ground wounded, but he was still alive despite his minigun now having been shorn in half.

John felt his blood chill. He'd always considered the Wraith to be the closest thing to a demon he'd ever met but seeing this ferocious monstrosity in front of him made him rethink that. John raised his rifle and squeezed the trigger. A razor thin beam of chemically enhanced light spat out, and cut a thin but highly penetrating wound into the arm of the Deathclaw.

The wound would have been enough to knock out most humans without armor. Certainly it might even dismember if it hit a narrower person. But the Deathclaw simply howled in rage, and charged forward towards John.

Hoss was wearing T-45d Power Armor, this armor was designed to withstand getting hit with anti-tank rockets. John was wearing Ceramic reinforced Steel Combat Armor with a few extra metal plates he'd scavenged. Needless to say, Hoss had quite the advantage. As the claws of the beast came into contact with him, it showed just how much ferocity Nature can have.

His entire front armor plating was literally ripped off by the attack, and John flew back into a rock from the hit. He groaned loudly as he landed, the laser rifle falling harmlessly to the floor. The coppery taste of blood in his mouth told him he was more wounded than he thought, and tactical retreat was the best option.

It would take too long to get the HA70 Assault rifle which may have been a better choice in this engagement, and John could see in the Deathclaw's eyes that it wanted to eviscerate him.

It jumped forward and landed in front of John, the monster raised one hand and prepared to impale John with its highly penetrating claw.

And that's when the first plasma bolt smacked it across the face. "You're making me angry! You won't like me when I'm angry!!"

John was too busy trying to get his assault rifle out to laugh at the irony of RL-3's unintended imitation of Bruce Banner. His chest was hurting intensely, but seeing a sudden trio of Laser hits smack the side of the creature, he figured that just maybe fate had smiled on him again.

Finally he got the damn assault rifle out, and with no degree of satisfaction, held the trigger down as he pumped the face of the Deathclaw full of lead.

The massive monster howled under the sudden ambush, the combination of plasma, projectile, and the surprisingly effective laser pistol quickly whittled down what defenses it had and threw it to the floor, a steaming lead filled monstrocity.

John winced hard, and realized he wouldn't have survived without backup… and he could feel Alicia's own rather fierce gaze piercing into the back of his skull.

-------------------------------

"So that's it. I haven't heard from them since but I'm guessing Three-Dog's been watching em."

Rodney was near catatonic. Not only was he sitting a few feet away from a nuclear bomb, not only was his body still aching despite being looked over by Doc Church, but now he had learned that Sheppard and Alicia (Finally figured out that name thank you Robert) were still alive and searching for him. Needless to say, it was very overwhelming. "Watching em!? _WATCHING THEM!? You're telling me that for the past 2 weeks they've been searching for me and there's a freaking radio DJ announcing everything they do!?"_

Robert nodded, and groaned as he rubbed his head. "Yeah, 'The Adventures of Spiky and Cutie. On right after the latest from the Lone Wanderer."

Rodney moaned dejectedly as he rubbed the sides of his head. Thankfully Robert had a food sanitizer and at the least, Rodney could be sure he wasn't going to die from some foreign bacteria clogging him up again. The Enclave may have sanitized rotorouters, but out here in the wasteland Rodney was watching his Fiber and Fluid intake like a hawk. "Well that's just great, through pure sheer luck I get shot with some crazy concussion causing weapon that just happens to keep me from completely losing my mind, then the guy who shot me turns out to be the one guy in this whole freaking wasteland that knows even an inkling of what's going on with my friends!"

Robert shrugged, and groaned as he used his arms like pillows. The Brass Lantern wasn't exactly his usual place of business, but seeing how the rest of his… hmm… I guess Butch was right, he did start a gang…. were inside Moriarty's with that Enclave Soldier, it seemed prudent not to form a crowd.

That was a huge surprise, an actual Enclave soldier that wasn't trying to burn everything around him to the ground. And even more, the utter hilarity this supposedly intergalactic genius created around him. Even though he was utterly drunk at the time, Robert still had both Jericho and Butch to tell him about the Roto-Router and the smiling hottie holding his hand throughout the ordeal.

Putting them in the same heart shaped bed had been one of the nicest cruelties Robert had ever committed, almost as bad as the whole Ant Queen Pheromone thing at Rivet City. And with everything that had happened to him in the last 3 weeks… "Well as far as I know, they headed over to Rivet City and then met up with Three Dog, they've apparently just taken out another Enclave Outpost so I guess maybe they really were as tough as they said they were"

Rodney grimaced and squeezed his now dropping head. "Just kill me now. Even if I get outta here and back to my home I'm never going to be the same. Radiation… Giant Roaches… Radiation… Raiders way too interested in defiling me… Radiation… getting shot down twice is as many weeks… Radiation."

Robert was just about to scoff laughing when Lucas Simms voice carried over from across the path. "Well now, if you're even half as smart as Rob here says you're supposed to be, why don't you put some of that talent to work in exchange for us lettin' you stick around?"

Rodney turned his head and groaned softly. "What? You have a ham radio needs fixing? That crazy robot out front giving you issues? I'm not a mechanic, I'm a scientist!"

Lucas Simms grumbled softly. "A scientist huh? That means you know bombs, and that means you know how to completely disarm that thing."

Rodney shrugged, and took another sip of the water he'd been given by Wadsworth. The harsh sarcasm in his voice wasn't lost on those who heard it. "Oh so after what? 200 years you finally decide 'Hey, I'm living next to an active nuclear bomb! Maybe I should dismantle the thing…'… well no thanks! I'm not getting anywhere near that crazy old coot again and I'm definitely not stepping into that irradiated water pool that'll probably make me grow an extra toe."

Lucas Simms growled again, and he looked to Rob. "I thought you said his friends were good people."

Robert rubbed his temples and yawned with the distinct hint of more than just exhaustion. "I said they _seemed_ like good people."

Rodney became indignant, and after everything that had happened to him felt more than a little deserving of some leeway in his ranting. "They ARE good people…! Well at least Sheppard is. Honestly I have no clue what that captain V'ger is like."

Robert groaned and dropped his head to the table praying for a sniper to end him now. "That's _Vega_ you inconsiderate dolt."

Rodney waved off the light insult like it were lint on his shoulder. "V'ger, Vegas, New Reno I don't care… I just don't care anymore. I'm leaving this nuclear bomb infested town and heading to those Talon Of Steel bozos you said helped my friends."

Lucas Simms tut tut'ed as he sat across from Rodney. "And here I thought you were actually a half decent person. I hope you rot in hell."

Before Simms could get up though, Rodney groaned loudly as he never liked being told where to rot. "It's not that I wouldn't help you, but I'm not going near a nuclear bomb without some protection! I've already been exposed to god knows how much radiation, chemical agents, biological contaminants… this is going to be the straw that breaks my camel's back and renders me completely useless to any future generations."

Simms lost a bit of his harsh look, and drummed his fingers on the table. "So you need radiation meds? Done. Now fix that bomb and I'll throw in some water from our purifier, along with food."

Robert seemed to stiffen, but before he could speak Rodney muttered. "Oh like water matters anymore… the Enclave is about to turn on that purifier and the whole area is gonna get water."

Simms again growled, and Robert remained unusually quiet. "You mean the same Enclave that killed Nathan? The same Enclave that demanded we subject ourselves to radiation counts?" he looked to Robert momentarily. "The same Enclave that…"

Robert finished the sentence and also his glass of water. "…killed my father."

Rodney turned and looked to Robert dead in the eyes. He wasn't lying. "Well… granted yes, I do think the Enclave has some definite bad parts to it. But the fact of the matter is I'm not going anywhere near that bomb."

Simms turned away and cursed. He then turned back to Rodney with an angry glare. "We've been living with that bomb for all our lives! And we're fine! You're telling me you can't take some anti-rad medicine and do us this favor? Are you really so self-centered?"

Rodney was indignant. "You think it's so easy huh? Just pop a pill and bang, no radiation poisoning. Well newsflash!!! Your uber voodoo drugs might work for low levels like what's left over from 200 years ago, but actually handling fissile material!? No thanks! So unless you have a spare radiation suit lying around, which by the way I highly doubt you do, I think I'm going to just have to take my chances and hope I don't run into sexually deviant raiders again!"

Simms was impressed despite his ire, very few times had he ever heard such an eloquently put rant. Robert on the other hand just sighed and looked at Rodney while his head lay sideways on the table. " you want that suit in red or yellow?"

Rodney gave him a look back, and wished he could learn to keep his mouth shut.

-----------------------

"Now you see why I never take this suit off?"

John totally agreed with Hoss now, the Deathclaw attack had really opened his eyes to how dangerous the wasteland was. Nothing else they'd faced, not even the Enclave was as dangerous as that demon. "Yeah… Deathclaw is a good name for it."

A few moments passed as they walked down the broken road. Hoss looked intently at both John and Alicia. It was obbious something had happened to create a rift between them where neither was talking to the other. "The hell happened 'tween you and her? I distinctly remember telling you two lovebirds to keep it down night before last."

John shrugged, it wasn't any of Hoss's business his command decisions. "Doesn't matter. She's going back with you to the Citadel to give your guys some special ops training."

Hoss grumbled softly, he kept his voice low as Alicia chatted with RL-3 off to the side. "Course it matters. This isn't some bullshit about her shoulder is it?" John remained silent. "Aw don't gimme that bullshit. You're a soldier, so is she. Hell my leg is still aching and I lost my fucking minigun. So fucking what? Am I gonna cry and run home to mommy at the base?"

John didn't want to have this argument. Alicia was so new, still so young... he wished he could have seen her CSV in more detail. All he knew was "Special Ops – Operation Enduring Freedom".

He knew war, and he knew Iraq was tough… Everything seemed to just pile up on him telling him John he was making an error in judgment.

But he looked down to his chest; the Deathclaw had come within a centimeter of Kevlar to tearing his chest open. It hurt like hell even with some Med-X and Stimpacks… No he was making the right decision. The only decision he could live with.

"What would you do if your elder or general rold you not to go because it was too dangerous?"

John knew exactly what he'd do. But there was no way in hell he was going to tell paladin Hoss about that. "Like I said, that's not the point. She's hurt and it's my fault. If it weren't for your impressive medical technology, she'd be out of it for weeks."

Hoss shook his head and sighed, "You just don't get it. She probably hates you now and she's right to."

John it. Deathclaw attack aside or not, it was just too dangerous for alicia to remain with him. McKay was his issue, his mission. It was wrong of john to ask her to continue when she hardly knew the man. "no you don't get it. Too many years out here and you lose your humanity. That's not happening to her and I'm definately not going to be the reason."

"Then you better be ready to have her hate you. Cuz I already do."

John didn't care. Alicia was his responsibility, and he was going to be damned if she got hurt or godforbid, killed while on this personal mission of his.

He looked over to rl-3, the epitome of a soldier. Rl-3 didn't bleed, it didn't feel, it didn't have family that would have to be notified if the worst happened. RL3 cared about nothing but the mission, and how many commies he could burn down. John had no issue bringing RL3 with him because as awesome the robot was, nobody would really miss him.

Not like people would miss Alicia, or McKay.

"It's a done issue. She's going with your courier squad back to the citadel and that's final. No if's and's or but's."

Despite having trained himself not to, he couldn't help but notice how the ceramic armour plates that made up Alicia's posterior armour seemed to hug and generally highlight said portion of her.

Oh yeah, someone would definitely miss her if anything happened to her.

-----------------------------------------

"You're such a brave man. I can see why your friends are looking for you."

Rodney grimaced and groaned at Dephany's comment and tried to focus on things other than what Simms and Robert had convinced him to do. "The question is how much will be left of me by the time they find me."

Dephany was looking haggard. Ever since the subway and raiders within she had been relatively quiet and seemed to be focused on Rodney's wellbeing. Not that he minded, but it just seemed so unfair to him that the instant he gets a girlfriend back on Atlantis. A surprisingly smart and buxom blonde just happens to be attracted to him. Granted she was no Sam Carter, but Dephany Manning didn't seem to be such a downgrade. Who knew? Maybe she could become his assistant and he could become free of Radek.

Rodney gulped as Dephany handed him the top part of the advanced radiation suit Rob had loaned them while he slept his hangover off on the bar of Moriarty's pub. "Can I just go on record that this is not what I signed up to do when I joined Atlantis? Not even the genii were this bad."

Drphany lost a bit of her smile. She sighed and leaned her head on the palms of her hands. "I guess the wasteland must be the worst place you've ever been."

Rodney nodded, but then shrugged a bit as he thought about it. "well... Yes and no. Yes some of the people are pretty bad, yes there are towns whose main attractions include crazy preachers worshipping a 200 year old nuclear bomb. Yes I'm still trying to pretend what almost happened to me didn't almost happen..."

Dephany sniffled once and moved forward to take Rodney's head in her hands. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "I'm sorry Rod... I'm sorry this place is so horrible. Even the enclave must seem like some kind of monsterous people compared to you."

For a moment, Rodney was convinced she was being sarcastic. But hearing her genuine sobbing realised she was being serious. Maybe he should break out the ,new and improved, Rodney that had begun to surface about halfway through his 4th year with the expedition. "ugh well... There's uh... There's good stuff too! Like your medicine... I'd be dead if it weren't for your impressive voodoo."

Dephany shook her head and sniffled. "but you'd never need it in the first place if..."

Rodney began to panic. It served him well everywhere else, why not here? "oh uh... Well... You've got amazing uhh... Knowledge of metallurgy! Power armour makes my people's armour look pathetic in comparison!"

Dephany shook her head again. Her dejection seemed strange to Rodney. "but we wouldn't need it if we were peaceful like you..."

Panic wasn't helping. What else did Rodney have that might save the day? "dammit! Well... There's..."

Dephany put her fingers of Rodney's lips and shushed him. "Oh don't bother Rodney, everything we have is either to kill or patch up those who haven't been killed yet... It's just a fact that we'll always be fighting and dying."

Logic, there must be something Rodney could use to invalidate her argument! "No… No! What about the purifier?! That's only good! There! That's something that is good here! And look..." Rodney pointed out the door and specifically motioned towards some children playing on the catwalks. "See that! I hate kids, but thanks to the purifier they'll grow up and maybe become adults I can tolerate!"

Dephany smiled softly, and mumbled quietly. "… Yeah… that is true… maybe you're right Rodney… i guess… I guess I'm just still getting used to being out here."

Rodney checked his 'You and me both' comment as he slung the top of the suit on. But something nagged at him in the back of his head. Something President Eden had told him.

---------------------

Robert had tried to sleep, but ever since the events of the past week, he'd just been unable to. "I'm a hero… and I have to leave."

To his side, Nova rubbed him on the shoulder and leaned to whisper in his ear. "Honey, you keep talking like that and even _I'll_ want you to leave."

Rob sighed, and he played with something in his pocket. "She was there Nova… finally. Fucking finally the girl I've wanted since I can remember is there… and for once there's nothing between us."

Nova sat down and rubbed Rob's forearm. He'd long ago bought her contract with Moriarty at a fair price, albeit only because he had a gun to the older man's head in retribution for his initial treatment of him. Nova had decided to stay anyway and be a waitress for Moriarty with fair pay… again, the barrel of a gun helped. "What happened?"

Robert remembered what happened. Getting the distress call, deciding whether or not to go back to the place that had killed Jonas… nearly killed him. Would he be welcome? He'd ended the lives of 6 men that day, let alone Officer Mack whom Amata had shot with the gun he'd insisted she carry…

That was back when he was naïve, back when he thought people were decently good… before he saw that the Overseer's evil was just… petty foolishness.

He'd gone, and learned much of his former home. Other than he and Butch, no one else dared leave the vault… but some wanted to. He'd inspired them to become a part of the whole society, to rejoin their people on the surface… but only partially.

Amata begged him, she begged for his help. It wasn't easy, he explained the situation, Rob told her the horror's he'd seen and been an unwilling participant in. The 6 lives of that night were nothing compared to the countless raiders… the Talon Mercs… or the Ghouls of Tenpenny Tower.

Robert had given up trying to find the good or evil in people. Labeling someone with a karmic scale like that was pointless, what mattered is what they do at a certain point at a certain time. Many considered (including Three-Dog) Rob evil for annihilating the Ghouls attempting to enter Tenpenny Tower… but what no one realized was that those same Ghouls were prepared to use force… deadly force to take what they wanted.

Roy Phillips was the worst Ghoul Rob had ever encountered… he gladly spoke of massacring other people… of taking what he wanted in Tenpenny Tower… So Rob had donned his stealth suit and ever so silently slit his throat in his sleep.

He'd killed them all in their sleep. The most merciful killings he'd ever done… but the wasteland still considered him "evil" for doing that… for saving the people in Tenpenny Tower. It was then that Rob decided to tell the wasteland to fuck off… and he lived by his own morals.

Amata didn't understand… she was still an idealist. But now… Rob had done what he could for her, and Vault 101 was under her control.

He'd had one night with her… that's all she dare give him. That morning after she had looked at him from across the sheets… the obvious distress and hesitation at having to ask him this… she wanted him to stay… to teach her and the vault people how to survive. To be with her after such a perfect night. But Amata put the vault above her own desires and wants… and she knew what she had to tell Rob.

_"Rob… you're a hero to these people… and you have to leave…"_

It continued for several minutes, Amata laid it all out to him very clearly and diplomatically. But all Rob needed to hear was that his home was kicking him out… again.

Being a Hero was faulty, RL-3 was right.

"Nothing Nova… nothing happened."

He'd hooked up with Butch after that… and for the past week since escaping Raven Rock he'd been drinking, and shooting up med-x and psycho, anything to dull the pain he felt so deep inside now. Fawkes had left him because he simply didn't want to see Robert in such a bad way... ready to kill just about anything. The Super Mutant had gone to Underworld... one of the only places willing ot accept him. Jericho had joined in as well, offering his services as Rob was plainly coming to grips with what the wasteland really was.

Rob pulled out the little vial that President Eden had given him, and he played with it in his fingers… wondering… Nova asked quietly. "What's in the tube?"

Rob hesitated. Would she understand what Forced Evolutionary Virus meant? Doubtful. Would her radiation count be too high and…? Rob just didn't know. So he summed it up in a single sentence. "This…? This… is the future…" He took a long stare at the vial, and wondered exactly what Eden wanted in the wasteland. "…Maybe."

------------------------

A/N2: Whuhahahhaaha! I highly enjoy writing a character with a neutral karma! it's so much more challenging and angsty :D Expect more on Rob in the coming weeks! Rodney's still got quite a few things to do, and John and Alicia aren't just going to be sitting around either :D

I'm going to write as much as i can on my blackberry while commuting (i do alot of commuting) and hopefully i can have another biggish chapter next week. Again, a million pardons for takign so long. 2 jobs and school is waaay too time consuming and thankfully, 1 job is being left :D

Thanks for all the story alerts and favs! i'd love to hear some reviews of what you people think so far!


	25. The Hurt of Heroes

**The Hurt of Heroes  
**

A/N: Alrighty, i've been writing on my Blackberry and it's coming out pretty well. Unfortunately i just noticed my phone has taken some structural damage and may need to be replaced soon. (thankfully i've got a good deal for those new iPhones :D) I've also placed an order for a bluetooth minikeyboard so i can type anywhere on my phone (I have a tablet i use but it only has 3.5 hours of charge if i only use MS Word.) Hope this chapter holds you over for a bit, the whole Project Purity Arc is coming up for Rodney and it's gonna get pretty hectic :P

I've given Alicia a little more backstory here, and the next chapter will have Dephany backstory to a degree. (Hmmm how does one grow up in the Enclave?)

TBH Darrows is pretty one-dimensional as i planned him that way. He'll get a little more important later though :D

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"Would you mind getting him out of the way? I don't care if you shoot him but I'm handling some very sensitive material and I'd rather not drop it!"

Rodney's plea for some degree of sanity was largely ignored until Rob put a strong hand on Cromwell's shoulder to hold the preacher back. "Calm down Crommy. Just cuz you love the glow doesn't mean everyone else does."

Cromwell kept trying to reach forward and stop Rodney as he slowly began to operate on the aging nuclear ordinance. "No! No!! You must not take the glow! Our futures in the galaxy will be forsaken! Please! Our children..."

Rodney didn't care anymore. Cromwell could eat the uranium he was removing from the bomb for all he could care. "Your glow is putting everyone within 20 kilometers at risk of oh, nothing short of being atomized! Were you dropped as a baby, multiple times? Please say yes so I can excuse the failure of humanity I see before me!"

Simms stood off to the side and tut tut'ed "Now calm down, Cromwell's harmless."

Rodney removed one of the defused detonators and handed it to Dephany who in another radiation suit was holding a lead shielded box. "Harmless? HARMLESS!? This man has been encouraging people to bathe in radioactive water! That more than constitutes harm in my books! I'm honestly confused as to why you haven't driven him out of town with pitchforks and torches!!"

The crowd that had formed around Rodney remained silent and only Rob who sat at the brass lantern with a bottle of beer alongside Butch with his ever-present whiskey bottle dared speak. "Oh trust me, there's a good reason!"

Simms seemed to become alarmed, and he motioned to an older looking man in coveralls to leave the area. "Well now... Cromwell brightens up the place... Better than just having a bomb as the town centre piece."

It was a weak argument, and Rodney had little issue tearing it apart as he removed another defused detonator. "What!? Is that supposed to be a joke? The grim reaper wouldn't laugh at that!"

Dephany remained silent, her upbringing in the Enclave had taught her to remain silent in moments of possible hostility and let the soldiers handle the heavy lifting. She did give a long stare at Rodney, and wondered how such a great specimen of what a man could be had fallen into her lap.

Rodney on the other hand was still groaning at the prospect of what he might find inside this giant rusted metal can. Uranium and plutonium were the typical radioactive elements used in a bomb, but from what he'd seen so far, these people might have some crazy uber-radioactive element that would eat through this ancient radiation suit like a torch through butter.

Rob kept drinking though, and his demeanor had gotten a little more irate. "Ya know, I woulda said the same thing, the reason Cromwell's still here?"

Simms shot the younger man a harsh look, but the pleading was obvious.

Rodney removed the last defused detonator and handed it to Dephany. His tone became more inquisitive than annoyed. "What? Tell me! For the love of all that's holy please explain why you would keep such a completely batshit insane near criminal around to poison your people!?"

Simms moved forward and tried to stop it, but Rob was easily the tougher of the two and he yelled out amidst laughs. "Caps! That's why they keep him around! Fuckin caps!!"

Dephany knew what caps meant in the wasteland, and the thought that Cromwell was allowed to continue for such a petty reason broke her silence. "Oh my god! That can't be true!"

Rob nodded as he laughed drunkenly; Butch beside him chuckled and held him in place. It wasn't even noon yet and both had had quite a bit to drink by now. Butch seemed surprisingly sober compared to Rob though. "You betcha sweet cheeks, they take a little backend off the donation box and help fund the town with it!"

Rodney had just begun to dismantle the outer layer of the core fission imploder when he turned and looked to Rob. "What!? How the... What the..." his face became expressionless, his emotions threatened to make him jam a grenade into the radioactive core and run like hell. He stared at Lucas Simms as he deadpanned. "You goddamned son of a bitch... How... How could you do that?"

Most of the townsfolk in sight also stared hard at the now nervous mayor and sheriff. He kept his voice steady though, unwilling to cede any ground. "You all think it's so easy... Running a whole town. Who do you think pays the merchants to come and supply us? Where does that money come from?" Simms became indignant. "We don't grow food, we don't have cattle and we're not about to start raiding..." he looked to the people again, this time with a pleading look." I'm not about to tax and fine you people so I did what I had to do! You people had the common sense to avoid Cromwell, but we needed the money! It's what keeps the town going no matter what!"

Rodney swore that when he made it back to Atlantis, he would personally wipe this address from the database so no other expedition member would have to deal with the utter and preposterously vast ignorance that this planet seemed to breed.

---------------------------------

"Colonel! May I say I am wholly impressed with your tolerance for pain and reaction times under stress!"

John would have rolled his eyes were his chest not still in severe pain. "You're not the only one to say that, but believe me; sometimes it's not as good as it sounds."

RL-3 remained motionless even as he floated ahead. His voice was his typical cheery exaggeration of ire. "I wouldn't know sir! Pain is weakness leaving the body… and I have no weakness!"

John smirked as he jumped down from the rock jutting out the side of the hill they were cresting. Downtown loomed ahead with its broken and shattered remains of buildings. It was slightly disheartening to go back to such a devastated place, but compared to the Deathclaws that seemed to roam the wasteland… Super Mutants didn't seem so bad. "So what? You don't have a body?"

RL-3 zipped ahead and bared down on John half menacingly. "Do not attempt a Logic driven attack sir! My circuits were built to absorb and reflect such types of attack, you pus dripping meatbag!"

John flinched at the term. He could have sworn he'd heard it before. "Meatbag?"

A sudden scream from a nearby shanty town drew all their attention, and quickly they all took cover behind a rock formation. Alicia groaned softly as her arm still bothered her. Doc Hoff had told her to keep from moving it too much for a few days, and while the excruciating pain was gone, she still had to inject some Med-X every few hours to keep from feeling the dull pain inside. "Sounds like a woman… or maybe a kid."

Hoss unslung his backup weapon, a Combat Shotgun that looked oddly familiar to John. "Sounded like it... You got any Intel as to what's round here Hoss?"

The paladin shook his head. "Not a damn clue. Far as I know it's just wastes out here."

Alicia pulled out the scope she had pried off her original sniper rifle and took a look in the direction of the scream. She bit her lips as the pain in her shoulder flared, but kept silent.

John scrambled over to her and provided cover with his heavy assault rifle. "What D'ya see Captain?"

Alicia checked her nasty reply and became impassive. "Kinda hard to tell sir... Looks like a gang or... Wait." the image in the scope became clear. A group of 4 armed men were leading a larger group, about 6 in total of young women and children "…looks like a convoy... It's..."

John growled softly and decided to keep things soldierly. "What? Come on Captain. Just tell me what you think."

Alicia ground her teeth and tried to describe her thoughts. "Well. It looks like a prisoner transport. But I don't see any cuffs or rope or chain: they aren't even pointing their guns."

Hoss cursed silently and slide his back down the rock. "Guess you haven't run into slavers yet... They don't use ropes or any bindings."

John was confused, but more he was angry. "Slavers? How do they...?"

Hoss interrupted, already knowing what john was going to ask. "Slave collars. Used to be used for livestock control, fore the war. Little shock collar with a radio transmitter."

Alicia furrowed her brow, feeling a little sick from the implication. Certainly she wanted to stay the hell away from them. "Shock collar?"

Hoss nodded and sighed. "Attached to high explosives."

John's throat caught, and he realized what was going to happen to those children. "Can we remove the collars?"

To everyone's surprise, RL-3 spoke up, albeit quietly. "RL-3 wishes to know what purpose this has in our mission."

Alicia was about to say something, but instead remained quiet. She couldn't help but ask herself the same question. "He's right sir... I hate to say it but..."

John cut her off and flicked the switch on the safety of his gun. "But nothing! I've got a chance to save those kids and I'm not letting it pass me by. You in Hoss?"

Hoss grumbled softly. "Yer not leaving me much choice. But without taking those collars off. It's pretty pointless."

John dropped his head and cursed. "Goddammit... There's gotta be a way."

Alicia _really _didn't want to go near those slavers, but her own heartstrings were tugged by the look of the children being forced int service. She couldn't help but think of what might happen to those young women and how lucky she was to have avoided Slavers up until now. Alicia looked to RL-3 and spoke softly. "Come on Sarge. Think of it like spreading democracy!"

RL-3 openly scoffed but one of his arms moved to grab something in his storage. "This is the second logical test your group has given RL-3. But Captain Vega does make a point. Very well. RL-3 will remove explosive collars with a success rate of 97%!"

John raised his eyebrows. "What about the other three?"

RL-3 proudly replied. "Do not fear! RL-3 is designed to withstand explosive forces far greater in strength!"

None of the humans were looking forward to the possibility.

-----------------------------------------

"I don't care what you do with it! Just get it the hell away from me!"

Rodney has long ago lost his politeness, even before he crash-landed on this planet twice. Dephany handed the lead shielded box to Lucas Simms and was equally frightened. "It's really radioactive still! You should bury it somewhere no one goes and isn't near any water."

Lucas took the box with no small sense of apprehension and gingerly held it away from him. "I think I know just the place. Thanks again for..."

Rodney was having none of it. "200 years! That's how long you played chicken with the reaper! Even Sheppard wouldn't try that! And he's a man who's become best friends with near death experiences!"

Lucas didn't like the tone Rodney was using, but he kept civil. "Now you watch your mouth. Disarmed or not I still don't trust you. Now Rob said he'd take you to the citadel since he's heading there himself."

Rodney finished taking off the radiation suit and looked at it gingerly. If the wasteland weren't ridiculously hot, he might be tempted to take it with him. "Believe me, I think those brotherhood of talon folks would be much more gracious hosts to my intellect than Cassidy Jane and the mad Max trio here."

Before Simms could reply. Lieutenant Darrows moved between them from some unknown hiding place and instantly stopped any possible hostilities. "Don't even think about it. Your hat would make a nice addition to my trophy case back home."

Lucas growled softly' and he motioned over to where deputy weld and steel were now in flanking positions. "And your helmet would make a nice warning for any more Enclave bastards who think they can just waltz on in and take over. my town."

Rodney realized what a trap he'd just walked into, but Darrows didn't look nervous or even agitated. "Ha! You think I'd have lived this long if a pair of wannabe tin can soldiers and a cowboy could take me down?"

Darrows slowly drew his assault rifle. Simms instantly drew his own and began to scream. "Stop! I don't want to kill you but..."

Darrows laughed. "But nothing! You either leave us alone till we go or your kid's gonna have to be more than just a deputy!"

It was a tense standoff' and Rodney was just about to take a hold of Dephany's hand and begin an advanced tactical evasion pattern involving running and screaming. A harsh drunken voice suddenly shattered the tension. "Simms you fucking moron! You honestly think that little rifle'a yours is gonna do squat against that armor? Go ahead fuckin kill yerself already!"

Darrows cocked his head at the man standing on the catwalk above him. Rob was armed with what looked like a modified watts 2000 laser rifle. Such high tech weapons were rare in the wasteland, and both men knew it was one of the few weapons capable of penetrating even T-51b armor.

Needless to say, Darrows was quite pleased that Rob had decided to defend him. "You should listen to him. He's smarter when he's drunk than you are on mentats!'

Simms was unwilling to turn the crater of his town into a bloody massacre, and he lowered his weapon. "1 more day. Then I want you out of here."

Now Rodney couldn't help it. Slowly he'd been repressing his fears and emotions; the wasteland was changing him despite all attempts to remain the same man he was.

But that man was... Well he wasn't showing anymore. And Rodney wasn't sure if he'd ever come back. "You and me both..."

---------------------------------------

Alicia crouched with RL-3 ostensibly guarding her. If she hated john before, now she just wanted to tear his guts out.

He'd kept her out of this mission. He'd actually ordered her to stay with RL-3 and _"prevent a flanking maneuver"_

Bullshit. He wanted to keep her out of harms way. The man was intolerable for the past day and Alicia didn't know what she would tell Carter when she got home.

She was reminded of her childhood, and the way her actual brother would keep her from joining in with his friends because he _"didn't want her to fall in with a bad crowd"_

When her brother was unable to reply to her retort of _"then why do you hang out with them?"_ she had earned the right to make her own mistakes.

That's what she wanted, to be treated as an equal, forget rank, forget age. John was only 11 years older than her, he should treat her with the same respect she got from anyone who talked to her for more than 5 minutes.

Alicia knew what was bothering him and the worst part was she understood. John was terrified that something would happen to her, and he'd have another body on his conscience.

But he was being unreasonable, things happen to soldiers. And it was a risk she had prepared for.

Alicia's mother, Venancia, had given her a medallion of St. George for her academy graduation. While a Deathclaw wasn't precisely a dragon, it was close enough in her thoughts. That medallion was on her nightstand back in Atlantis, along with some homebrewed recipe for pupusas but Alicia never really liked to cook. She wished she had that medallion now.

As strange as it was, RL-3 respected her more than john did at this moment. "Sarge, if Colonel Sheppard asked you to stay behind while he went on a mission, how would you feel?"

The Mr. Gutsy Robot hovered in place with its weapons drawn. "RL-3 would follow orders sir! But not happily!" Alicia nodded; it was her duty to follow John's orders, even if she felt they were duly unfair. "Query! Is Captain Vega not happy with her orders?!"

Alicia sighed and rubbed her shoulder in sympathetic sentiment. "Not particularly."

She heard the sounds of the Slavers moving closer, and with John and Hoss in ambush positions, she didn't expect the fight to take long… but Alicia knew she should have been there with them… even only as fire support. RL-3 seemed to understand what Alicia was talking about. "Captain Vega wants to remain on the front lines?"

Alicia nodded, and sighed. "In a manner of speaking. But you're right… I should follow orders."

RL-3 cocked it's sensor diode to the side and stared at Alicia. "RL-3 detects hesitation. Surely Captain Vega is not thinking of disobeying orders?"

Alicia suddenly became a little apprehensive, and decided to try and steer the conversation away. "No! no no no… if Sheppard orders me to stay at the Citadel then yeah, I'll stay. I'm just saying I wouldn't be happy about it."

The sounds of gunfire stopped the conversation, and both Alicia and RL-3 took up defensive positions in the little worn out shack. "Scanning…" The robot tnesed up and it was obvious he was... Did Robots get agitated?

"You okay Sarge?"

RL-3 growled softly, something which Alicia found oddly disturbing as RL-3 didn't exactly have a vocal cord. "...selfish superior officers... Hogging all the action."

She bit back her wince, but nonetheless agreed with the first half of the robot's assessment.

Only about 30 feet away, john had reloaded his assault rifle and rolled out from behind the wheelie bin he was using for cover.

Hoss had been much more direct, taking little care in the small low calibre projectiles heading towards him, and rather focused on using his combat shotgun to the dullest extent.

The slavers had been taken completely off guard. 2 had fallen to John's assault rifle fire in a spewing mess of their own gore, while another had lost his arm and was bleeding out from hoss's shotgun.

The slaves hadn't taken any casualties, but despite John's pleas to stick around, one had gone into a dead run back towards the downtown ruins.

The last slaver had taken cover and was screaming. "Fuck! Don't kill me! Please!"

John felt his training nag at him. And memories of another situation flooded through his mind. He still didn't know what happened to that talon mercenary, but it was likely it wasn't good.

Hoss would have none of it, and fired his shotgun for purely intimidative effect. "you chose slaving, you chose death!"

The slaver fired his gun repeatedly, and hoss was forced to standoff lest the slaver get a lucky shot at close range through his damaged armor.

John could see the slaver was about to try and run, so he got into a flanking position and rushed forward. What happened next was unexpected.

The slaver hadn't waited for hoss to reload, and john had jumped right into the path of the fleeing slaver.

He got a good look at the man, saw his slightly damaged complexion, the way his nose sat to one side as if it had been broken. But most of all john could see the ragio detonator in the man's hands.

He was too close for his rifle, and the slaver had a knife in his hands. So john fell back on his instincts, swinging the butt of the gun forward.

Faster than he realised, it devolved into a brawl. John felt the hunting knife bounce against his armor and curled reflexively with his fist going to the slaver's face.

The slaver took the hit and lunged forward taking john down with him. They rolled around on the ground as they wrestled over control of the detonator. It was almost primal, both willing to kill but neither willing to die.

"Sheppard! Back off!"

John ignored hoss's words. The paladin couldn't shoot his scatter gun without injuring john, but john couldn't let go lest the slaver detonate what he assumed were the shock collars.

John had his hand on the man's wrists, grunting furiously as he tried to wrest the detonator from his surprisingly strong grip. The slaver cursed and screamed as john drove his knees into the man's gut, desperately trying to win over.

"all yer gonna save is meat... broiled meat!" with those disturbing words, the slaver spit into John's face defying him even further.

Try as he might, John just wasn't strong enough to wrestle and win with this surprisingly powerful man. 6 lives rested in his hands and he just wasn't strong enough. "Hoss! On three!!"

John hoped the paladin understood. He was trusting the brotherhood man to act without hesitation and was risking everything.

"1...!" john wasn't strong enough... He wasn't fast enough... "...2...!" he needed backup. John Sheppard needed a team. "...3!"

In a single move, john lifted his knee and shrimped over to the side pulling the slaver up on top of him.

The look of surprise on the slaver's face was compounded by the sound of... Laser fire? A split second after John saw and heard the typical blast of the combat shotgun and... Plasma?

His team had come, his team had arrived and were saving him.

The slaver grimaced and screamed as his metal plated leather armor was punctured and melted. That protectron's gaze pistol was surprisingly powerful and john could help but admire how it severed the man's spinal cord and let him fall lump to the floor.

As he hit the ground though, john made out a dull thump in the distance... He'd heard many thumps over the past few days, each turning out to be an enclave eyebot on the wrong side of a radscorpion's stinger.

As he wiped the sweat, saliva, and blood off his face though, he had the distinct sickening feeling that he'd failed yet another person...

-----------------------------------------

"You really think these people are worth it? You know what could have happened."

Rob was sitting with Rodney right outside his home, Darrows and Dephany had gone to bed and he couldn't help but notice the slight hint of a smile on the not-as-fat-as-he-remembered scientist when she said she would wait up for him. Then again he only had a few seconds worth of seeing him so. "."

Rodney nodded and took another sip from his water bottle, he also took a few bites from an Enclave ration bar and tried to keep his portions relatively small. "And you're the first wastelander who actually seems pretty smart. Most just start shooting at me or begging for help like that guy outside."

Rob leaned forward on the little table and sighed. "You know… I used to want to help him. I'd give him a bottle of water when I could spare it but…"

Rodney had come to grips with this world, and without some serious financial backing, there was little hope that even Atlantis could do much. "But what?"

Rob winced and rubbed his forehead. "For all the good people out here… there's 10 times as many fuckheads… Darrows told me a bit about what happened to you…"

With a slight tremble, Rodney looked away trying to forget. "I don't want to talk about it."

A small scoff, and Rob leaned back in his chair. "Exactly. Sheppard told me about Atlantis and compared to here its paradise."

Rodney fought back the tears, the mesmetron had helped to block out the memory, but slowly it was all coming back to him. "You could say that."

Rob tugged on his hair, trying to find some way to broach the subject. "Listen… as bad as this place is, it may not have to be."

"What? What do you mean?" Rodney couldn't understand how a place like this could possibly get better. Deathclaws, Raiders, giant roaches, radiation… very little to appeal to the average tourist. "Have you even looked out there!? What could possibly save this place aside from another nuclear holocaust?"

With no small sense of surprise, Rob started laughing. "Ha, it's… I don't deny it… goddamnit man… you know I've only been out here for a few months?"

Rodney raised both eyebrows. "What?! But… Where'd you come from?"

Rob swallowed, the pain of Amata's… betrayal was too strong a word… her… _choice_… was still fresh and alcohol and drugs only helped to alleviate the agony. "A vault… Manning told me you know what they are."

"Yes yes… big underground bunker… but… why'd you leave? It must have been much better than this!"

Rob stayed silent a moment, seeing the one and only chance he might have to broach such a sensitive subject. "Project Purity happened… my dad was one of it's founders." Seeing Rodney's surprised reaction, he chuckled. "Yeah I know you know about Purity… I spoke with Eden not too long ago and he told me about your modifications…"

Rodney's breath caught, and he realized that the battle Darrows had taken part in had been the same one that killed Rob's father. "Bu… oh… oh god… you mean… wait… that doesn't…"

Ignoring Rodney's babbling, Rob continued. "A long time ago my mom and dad hooked up with Dr Madison Li down south… they started working on the purifier so that the whole wasteland would have clean non-irradiated water… but 19 years ago… I came into the picture."

"What?!" Rodney was utterly shocked, he'd thought the young man sitting before him was something like 25 or possibly even 30 if he took care of himself. To be so young and out here… "You're only 19? And you were out here? How'd you end up in the vault? What happened to Project Purity!?"

This time it was Rob who held back the tears. He was truly alone now, Butch was his one and only friend and the boy had spent the majority of the last 20 years pestering him. "Whoa… slow down… yeah I'm only 19… and yeah I was born out here…" He sniffed once long and hard. "…but… my mom died giving birth to me… Not enough medical supplies…" He sighed now, happy that his father had told him all about this before the end. "My dad took me and abandoned Purity. The others left soon after and they all went their separate ways. Dr Li is down in Rivet City… Rothchild went back to the Brotherhood… and my dad…" now the young man chuckled, and remembered so many good times with Amata… as well as the last one. "… he talked his way into the vault. One of the only guys to do it."

Rodney imagined it. How the hell would one talk one's way into a secure bunker like that? "He must have been pretty persuasive, and smart too. I've seen the plans for Purity and it's ambitious, pretty ingenious too."

Rob sniffed again and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah… dad said mom was the same… but after she was gone he… he just couldn't stay. So he took me into the vault because… because he wanted me to have a better life…"

"Why didn't you stay? I mean… you obviously grew up there."

Shaking his head, Rob became much more stony faced. "You don't know. The vault was… an experiment. A goddamn experiment and it's got the last few untainted humans."

Rodney mentally halted, he recalled the Enclave using the same terminology. "Wait, tainted?"

Rob nodded, and he decided to gamble. "Yeah… I'm guessing Eden told you about FEV?"

"… He mentioned it. He said that…" Rodney stopped talking as Rob sat quietly. "Wait… did he… he didn't _give_ it to you did he?"

Rob wondered momentarily. This doctor was hard to read, he'd been willing to help Megaton… but openly said he wouldn't be against killing Cromwell. From what Sheppard and Vega had told him of Rodney, it was likely the scientist wouldn't want to use the virus…

But Rob couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it would be worth it. The tainted wasteland was like a cancer… and just like a tumor it might have to be incised. "What? Nah… but… he told me about his modification… and to answer your question… I left the vault to look for my dad. He decided to restart Project Purity."

So much information in so little time, Rodney was just a wee bit confused. "Wait… so… once you started up Purity again… the Enclave showed up?"

Rob nodded, he recalled fighting his way through the Taft Tunnels just barely scraping by to the Citadel. "Yeah… and… well after that… I got the last pieces needed to fix the purifier… but the Enclave captured me and well… now there's only a few people who know the code to start the purifier… and as far as I know it's ready to go."

Rodney again raised his eyebrows. "What!? But… why haven't they started it then?"

Rob rubbed his face. Everything had compounded so quickly that he didn't know what to do anymore. James, Dr Li, Autumn, Eden the freaking computer… Amata. He just wanted someone to take the weight off his shoulders for a time… just someone to help him consider such wide spread ramifications. "Beats me. But tomorrow we're heading to the Citadel and they're probably gonna wanna take the Purifier back. If the Enclave is allowed to keep control… well… have you seen any of their outposts?"

Rodney shook his head, but he could almost imagine it now that he'd seen how scared these people were of them. "No… I spent the last few weeks in Raven Rock… at least when I wasn't getting blown up or…"

Rob shook his hand quickly. Raiders were notoriously depraved and he didn't want to see a grown man cry. "Yeah well… Raven Rock is nowhere near as bad as their outposts. I've seen em burn whole families because…" Try as he might, as much as everything in the wasteland had hardened him, Rob couldn't help but feel the moisture in his eyes. "… well… let's just say I have no love of the Enclave… but I'll tell you because I think you'll understand… I think Eden might be right."

A gulp. That was the only way to describe Rodney's reaction. It was the only way because he himself had started to think that maybe the well spoken President was right… maybe Eden was right about saving the wasteland. All that remained was getting to Project Purity.

-----------------------------

John was off on his own, his ire not allowing him any consolation.

2 of the 6 children were dead. Their heads…

He wasn't strong enough, _he wasn't strong or determined enough._

Alicia had forgotten all about his orders and tried to give him some reassurance, but he would have none of it.

They were only 15, maybe 17. They had died so young and for what? Because some asshole wastelander didn't want to clean his own shanty? Because the 16 year old girl would be… _goddamnit!_

RL-3 had come through and taken the collars off those kids. It turned out they were supposed to head to this place called "Big Town" where "mungos" go as they leave Little Lamplight when they were ambushed. Hoss had heard of both places but little else. Paradise Falls was the slaver central… John wanted to go and show them a piece of his USAF Special Forces training.

For now though, he just sat there looking at the detonator in his hand. 2 buttons depressed. _He wasn't strong enough._

"Hey… we're moving out. I gave those kids the slaver's weapons and Vega's showing em how to use em. They should be okay on their own."

John didn't reply, another 2 lives to add to his growing mental list.

Hoss moved over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey… buck up. Those kids woulda been through hell if it weren't for you dragging my ass into this."

John gulped. Hell… he prayed that God had taken those 2 kids somewhere else. "Don't even start. You saw what happened."

Hoss sighed exasperatedly, and he moved to stand in front of Sheppard. "Alright, that's it. I've been listening to your preachy goody two shoe bullshit for 3 days now and I've had it. If you aren't happy once I'm done you can rot for all I care."

"Bullshit? You can't be serious. You're telling me I should have _let_ those kids get dragged to Paradise Falls? You know better than I do what would happen to them!"

Hoss kept his stance, and he stared down at John who remained unthreatened. "You listen and you listen good, because if you don't hear this I'm going to beat it into your head with my goddamn fists and you know Vega isn't gonna do jack squat…" John softened a bit, as tough as he was, John doubted he could take on Hoss even in damaged Power Armor. "… You are _not_ a saint. And if you try you're gonna come outta this with more than just a few bruises. You remember me telling you about "The Chosen One"?"

John nodded, Elder Lyons had told him just a little about the old stories. "Yeah… you said it was a hell of a story."

Hoss cocked his head to the side and recalled the history he'd been taught. "And it's nothing like what his Grandfather did. "The Vault Dweller". "

"Vault Dweller?"

"Yeah… He came outta his vault to save the people inside… and he ended up defeating an army of super mutants with the help of the Brotherhood."

John scrunched his brow. "Wait… how long ago was that?"

Hoss chuckled once, and hoped that John could catch what he was trying to say. "A long fucking time ago. The brotherhood wasn't like what you see today. All we cared about was preserving technology… but he convinced us to help. We took out their mutant factory with his help and we left it at that… but he didn't."

Remaining silent, John listened to the rest.

"He took his gang and went after the big boss. Only he came back. When he tried to go back home they told him to piss off because he was a hero… and he would inspire people to leave and get killed out here in the wastes. That's what being a hero in this place means. _That's_ what you getting into situations like this is going to lead to."

John scoffed at Hoss's words. "You saying I'm gonna lose my family? What family? I'm not even from this fucking planet."

Hoss shook his head and sighed. "I don't know whether you're just stupid or that thick head of yours is what keeps you alive. You're giving up more than you realize if you try and be a hero. So stop before you lose something you might not be able to cope with."

With his final words, Hoss motioned over to where Alicia was comforting the children and showing them how to reload the old battered assault rifles the Slavers had been carrying, RL-3 stood at attention nearby, hovering silently as always with his plasma projector ready to fire.

Lose _her_? "The hell are you…? Oh for the love of… She's my _subordinate_… that's all."

"Really? So what was all that I saw 'tween you two? If you ain't banging then at least you were friends."

John waved the accusation off. "That was before I realized how selfish I was. She doesn't even like Dr. McKay… how can I ask her to risk her life for him?"

Hoss grumbled softly. "How much longer you said it would take for your people to show?"

John shrugged around a bit. "3 or 4 weeks give or take. She'll be safe at the Citadel for that long."

"You won't. You're gonna die out here in the wastes even with that crazy robot on your tail."

John shook his head. "You don't know what I've been through. That Deathclaw was careless… it won't happen again."

Hoss sighed and waved John silent. "Enough, I've said my bit. If you're gonna be a fucking moron then I can't help you. Once we get back to GNR I'll let you stock up and pray that you can pull off a miracle… but you gotta know that if you go alone I'm not counting on ever seeing you again."

John grumbled softly, and he nodded in Hoss's direction. "Noted. Now leave me alone."

John was resolute, Rodney was _his_ problem. John Sheppard wasn't going to be the cause of anymore undue deaths on this planet. He might not be a saint of the wastes, but slowly John was realizing that he couldn't just sit back for the next few weeks and let events play out like he was seeing.

The Enclave had pissed off the wrong man, and they were in for more than just one world of hurt.


	26. Wasted Epiphanies

**Wasted Epiphanies.**

_A/N: As some of you know, I've recently gotten a new job (Electrical Contractor) apart from still going to school for HVAC. My blackberry has gone kaflooey as far as typing goes so I actually pumped out most of this while on the bus on my Tablet PC (thankfully my route for today had mostly business people and I only got a few strange looks.)_

_Rodney lovers unite! Here is your H/C! And for those who felt something was missing at GNR…_

--------------------

"You okay Rod?"

Rodney sighed as he sat down on the heart shaped bed, Dephany had taken most of her clothes off to sleep and it was just a tad bit disturbing to think that she had waited for him to join her. "Ugh... No. Not particularly."

Dephany nodded softly and sighed as Rodney took his shoes off... And nothing else. "I... I'm sorry Rodney."

"Why?" it was a simple question, and Rodney would really like to know what this woman thought she was apologizing for.

"I'm ... sorry I pushed you so hard to help us...I'm sorry this happened and... I'm sorry for what happened in jury street metro.

Rodney sniffled once, and he disguised it with a scratch of his nose. "It's... It's not your fault."

Dephany bit back a sob and hugged her knees as she sat up in the bed. "I... I know. But I just... I shouldn't have talked you into going with us... The wasteland is dangerous and I should have just left it to the soldiers."

Rodney knew the argument. He'd had it many times with Sheppard and over the last 4 years they'd come to a sort of agreement. Rodney himself was very proud that he had the strength to do such a thing.

Now here was this 30 something woman, so much like him in so many ways... Except... "You couldn't have known what was going to happen... I..." even those words were too much, and Rodney began to bite back sobs and cries of anguish.

Dephany quickly moved forward and pulled him closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and soothed him with gentle strokes and soft kisses on his face.

She felt so ashamed, it wasn't like an enclave scientist, chief of physics and metallurgy to have made such a mistake.

Dephany knew why she'd pushed so hard. In the last two weeks having spent so much time with Rodney had shown her what the wasteland could be like one day.

Rodney was her dream, a genius with a heart of gold. And because she wanted him around her he'd been blown up, shot at, forced to disarm a nuclear bomb, and... "Rodney please... Please don't hate me."

Rodney sobbed softly, and realized that despite now being capable of hate, he didn't hate her for what had happened to him. "What? No, I don't hate you! Are you kidding? It's because of you that I don't want to just kill everything I see!"

Dephany leaned forward and pulled Rodney into a hug. Rodney felt strange, his memory of what almost happened, and even the feeling of her soft hands against his skin was so contrary to what this was. The gentle bliss being trapped in her embrace helped Rodney to forget, it aided his mind to heal.

Rodney was always self-conscious, he wasn't in Sheppard's physique at the best of time, and right now despite having lost weight from eating only the bare necessities, he still felt just a little ashamed as Dephany began to pull his shirt up. He'd been dancing around this enclave scientist for 2 weeks now, each time more worried than the last that she would ask him for something he really didn't want to do.

But Rodney needed this, Dephany needed this. They both needed reaffirmation that life was more than just nuclear bombs and depraved raiders.

Rob outside began to hear a rhythmic thumping soon after, and as drunk and stoned as he was, he just simply couldn't care less.

--------------------------------

GNR wasn't far off now, the path through the broken downtown ruins devoid of most life. Hoss was adamant that his instinct was telling him to hurry, and try and find a bigger gun.

John was contemplating many things, but primarily he was concerned with the rapidly healing captain in front of him.

Being in command sucked sometimes and rarely did John ever complain. He joked around about it sure, but actually sit around and mope about it?

The worst part was she was so handy to have around. Even RL-3 couldn't match her perception, and if the past two weeks were any indication, her sharpshooting was superb and reassuring to have watching his back. . The eye candy was nice too, and John has to admit when she asked him to sleep together (and no matter what Rodney might say when they found him, sleep was all they did! What happens in rivet city stays in rivet city.) it wasn't the hardest decision to make.

But that was part of the problem wasn't it? The reason they had to sleep next to each other, the cause of her anxiety around even brotherhood paladins. John had encountered slaves in his travels through the stargate, and he wished that fate on no one, least of all a woman.

Alicia could say what she may, the USAF could say what they wanted as well, but at the very end of it all Alicia was a woman and as such, vulnerable to certain kinds of scum this world made.

John knew that he was likely a target by now, he'd gotten involved too much, and with three dog chanting their every move, he made doubly sure to check his surroundings. Never knew when more talon mercs or idiotic raiders could pop up.

"Sir! RL-3 requests an audience!"

John turned to see the not so friendly looking robot hovering behind him "Uhh, yeah. Of course."

RL-3 stopped moving and cocked one of its sensor diodes to the side. "Colonel! Sergeant RL-3 requests intel on next mission!'

John thought about it for a second. It was likely the enclave would have a military base, and a well manned and defended perimeter. Maybe John could trade for some heavier weapons especially since Alicia wasn't going to be needing hers on the trip back to GNR... "More than likely three dog's going to be able to pinpoint the enclave's main base of operations, at which point you and I will be heading there to infiltrate and rescue doctor McKay."

RL-3 remained still, and with the others taking a quick break in the abandoned ruins, the robot decided to make his opinion known. "Will Captain Vega be joining us?'

Not again... Why did everybody have to put forward their opinion on this? "No... She'll be giving the brotherhood at the citadel the benefit of her skills and knowledge.'

"And the mission sir? Has it taken a secondary priority to these brotherhood wannabe soldiers?"

The question caught John off guard, and he mumbled a reply. Somewhere in his mind he knew RL-3 knew about Alicia's orders before asking, but such knowledge was lost to him though. "Uhhh... No. I'd just rather not have her get hurt again."

RL-3's reply was again a little surprising. "Are any reinforcements available for our assault?"

It was an interesting question. Elder Lyons had promised to send a strike force if John could find the enclave base of operations. But with so few brotherhood soldiers to start with, what could they hope to achieve? "Maybe, but the only sure ones are you and me buddy."

RL-3 made a small whirring noise, and then spoke in a rather serious tone, "Mission success is calculated at 6.4%! Without heavy fire support or specialized infiltrative gear, success is only achievable through bugfree and tireless action."

John simply blinked in confusion. "Say what?"

RL-3 barked it almost cheerfully. "In layman terms, a miracle sir! I look forward to achieving it! Even the vault dweller would be impressed!"

Before John could react to such an unexpected remark, a mighty roar came from the direction of GNR. Whatever it was, it was obviously big and likely not in a good mood.

---------------------------------------------

Sex wasn't something that often came Rodney's way, sure he'd had sex before, and through some miracle of the universe he'd lost his virginity to a somewhat attractive if more than generally stupid blonde in the last year of college when he was 18.

After that, nothing really happened. Rodney joined the scientific community, and despite many of the women being attractive, he kept finding himself more and more rejected. It hurt at first, especially since they all started it with 'you're cute and all, but I just don't things would work out between us.' And then some spiel about any random attribute Rodney didn't have.

Was it really his fault? Of course not! One doesn't become the smartest man in two galaxies by humping his nights away!

The SGC didn't offer much either, especially after that whole Teal'c thing and having Sam, the veritable goddess of beauty in Rodney's mind threaten to shove a lemon in him.

Russia offered a few opportunities, but for the most part, Rodney had only ever had sex 4-5 times... At least until Katie.

It seemed like such a long time ago, but Atlantis was his first real home where he wasn't strictly trying to compete. Sure, Sheppard had the ladies swooning over his dark emo hair, and Ronon had a fan club that made Brad Pitt look like a McDonalds worker.

What he never expected was Katie. A woman who accepted him as he was and that was that. No trying to turn him into the Terminator, or god forbid, Edward Cullen the emo vampire with a Volvo.

Katie was his first real girlfriend that didn't judge him, she didn't question what he was doing... And he'd ruined it by thinking too much.

Then Jennifer had decided to take the Rodney screaming and quite possibly burning train of panic attack rich relationship. He had to admit; she certainly made him better, but was that really Rodney?

Since coming to Atlantis he'd grown more complacent, more accepting of situations that normally would have elicited a panic attack.

If a first-year-in-Atlantis-Rodney had landed here, more than likely he'd have spilled the beans about everything to the enclave by now. None of this heroic 'look for Sheppard and v'ger' crap he'd been doing.

He never would have gone to Meresti station, never been involved in the firefight after his vertibird was shot down. And jury street metro...

He felt Dephany stir next to him, and as loath as he was to admit it, it was probably the best sex of his life. Probably because the woman had done _everything_ for him. "Hey."

Dephany opened her eyes and sighed contentedly. It was still early morning and the sun had yet to come up. "Hey."

Rodney couldn't help it. He just had to know. "Deph... Don't take this the wrong way..."

She smiled but it was a weak smile, her eyes awash in memory. "Why did I do this?"

With.a nod, Rodney replied. "Well, to put it succinctly."

A moment's hesitation, and Dephany curled up next to him. "Because you give me hope Rodney. I look at you and I see what we could be one day. Mutations, radiation, monsters...." her eyes watered, but she refused to cry. "... It's all so strange to you. It's not a normal thing to you.'

Rodney saw what she was trying to say, but didn't really know how to respond. "Uhh well..."

Without bothering to listen to him, Dephany continued. "I grew up with all this... If things don't change I'll die with all this."

Now Rodney was a little creeped out. "God, don't say that!"

Dephany continued ignoring Rodney's cries for silence. "... When I was growing up, all I ever heard was, you're smart enough to make a difference, don't forget that."

Rodney now tried to get her to change the subject by agreeing with her, certainly this is what Sheppard would have done... Right? "Well... You are. Look at project purity."

Dephany shook her head and sighed dejectedly. "It's not mine... I just got it halfway working... Before we left they told me they'd found the GECK they needed but..."

Rodney remembered Eden talking about something like that. "So why haven't they turned the purifier on?"

Dephany laid her head down on Rodney's chest and smacked her lips. "I don't know... And that scares me. With the FEV virus it's supposed to get rid of any mutations... But then why haven't they started it if it's ready? Something's wrong and I don't know what it is..."

Rodney didn't know exactly either, but from the rhythmic thumping upstairs he had the distinctive feeling that once Rob slept off his drunken debauchery, he would be the one to know…. And just who the hell had the man snuck up while Rodney was passed out from his own encounter!?

-----------------------------------------------

_"Behemoth!"_

John had no clue what a behemoth was, but seeing what looked like the top of a head zip past above the broken roof of the building ahead of him... "Holy Christ! What the hell is that!?"

Alicia was equally terrified, and wished that her shoulder were in perfect working order. She was able to move it now but anything above a lateral raise and it would be too much pain.

On the radio, Hoss heard his men screaming combat orders. "Goddamn it all! Hope yer ready for a fight! These fuckers don't know when to die!"

Alicia decided survival was worth a little pain, and crouched down next to where John had taken cover. "Gimme the laser rifle!"

John almost scoffed, but seeing her with her arm out of the sling and an almost desperate look on her face also decided survival was worth a little shame. "Don't make me regret this."

With those words, John handed over the Wattz 2000 laser rifle to Alicia who took it and carefully hid her wince of pain. The harsh rebuke for being such a dumbass was left unsaid as well, and Alicia simply tried to get used to the weight of the weapon.

Hoss saw the exchange, seemed a bit unsure, but then moved forward with his shotgun at the ready. "Behemoth… reason we hunt muties down any chance we get."

Both Lanteans looked up at him and readied their weapons, a roar of defiance came from GNR along with the report of almost a dozen small arms. "That thing must be 20 feet tall! How'd it grow so big?!"

Hoss loaded a new drum into the combat shotgun and looked disturbed. "I don't know the science behind it, but when a mutie grows old, it doesn't get old like us… it just gets bigger and fucking meaner."

John made an incredulous expression back towards GNR. He wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing this "Behemoth" up close. "Bigger? How much bigger is bigger?! That thing's bigger than my first apartment!"

Hoss nodded and seemed to mentally prepare himself. "Only ever seen 2, one attacked a few months ago and killed a couple of my men, Lone Wanderer helped us take it out along with Lyons' Pride. The other I saw out in the wastes… from what was left, a pack of deathclaws was what it took to take it down." Hoss again shuddered, then moved his hand forward. "Alright, follow me, my boys should be holding him off but those fuckers are damn near bullet proof. We'll need concentrated fire and explosives if we're gonna have any chance of killing that thing."

With a gulp, John looked over to Alicia and his eyes said everything. Alicia didn't really feel like getting injured again so she answered his unspoken question with a raised hand. "I'll stick back, give you guys fire support."

Both men breathed a silent sigh of relief, and RL-3 who had been silent up until this point began to scream. "Hoo-rah! Time to spit in face of death once more!"

None of the humans there wanted to tell him how disturbing the robot really was.

----------------------

"Deph… tell me about yourself."

The question caught the woman off guard and she shrugged around confused. "Pardon?"

Rodney wanted to say something like _'Well usually when I have sex with someone I know a thing or two about them other than their name and job.'_ But thought better of it. "Well… I'm curious. You were going to tell me all about the genetic screening processes back at Raven Rock but there was the little…" Rodney stopped for a moment and hesitated. The rotorouter incident was still fresh in his mind and the smile Dephany gave him now was eerily similar to the one she gave while holding his hand during the ordeal.

All Rodney could hope for was that word of that incident never made it back to Sheppard. "Oh… uh… well are you sure you want to hear it? It's nothing special." Dephany became bashful, and Rodney couldn't help but think it was incredibly cute.

"Of course I want to hear it. I don't know anything about this place other than super mutants and radiation. I want to hear about some of the good stuff."

With a sigh of near resignation, Dephany nodded and leaned over to cuddle with Rodney under the sheets. "Well… when I was born they did the genetic screening right away. It's a process that involves seeing which genes are dominant and which are recessive. They also do an analysis of physical traits and even do a projection of what a person would look like once they're older."

Rodney had heard of such technology in the works. His own world was still a bit behind that. "That's pretty nifty to have."

Another nod, and Dephany continued. "Yeah well… my own screening showed a strong emphasis on intellect and logic. So when I was growing up they nudged me towards science related chores and jobs so I could benefit our people the most."

It was slightly disturbing, but at this point Rodney was seeing the benefit of such a culture. "So what about Darrows? How'd he end up being a soldier?"

Dephany shrugged, and leaned her head on Rodney's shoulder. "Specifically, I don't know… most people who don't score above average on intellect usually end up becoming grunts. Most of our people are soldiers unfortunately and those who don't meet physical requirements end up laborers."

A small grumble escaped Rodney's lips, and he had to speak of what he knew. "That's kind of unfair isn't it? I mean…. Even with genetics you can't tell how far that person might go. One of the greatest geniuses of my world failed grade 2 math twice,"

A few blinks of confusion, then a bemused tone. "Excuse me? Grade 2 math?"

Rodney realized that despite speaking English like pretty much every culture they'd met (which was a damn peculiar coincidence but nobody ever made mention of it) culturally different words were bound to turn up. "Oh… uhh… my people begin to go to school at around age five, each year from then counts as a grade from 1 till 12 and then onto either college or university to specialize in something." What he didn't mention was that the majority of people didn't go to college or university, and it was actually a little unfair in that some relatively intelligent people didn't get the chance due to financial reasons.

Unfortunately for Rodney's ease of mind, Dephany could read between the lines. "But you said there were almost seven billion people on your planet, do they all go to college or university?"

It was hard to answer, especially since it tore the illusion that earth was one of the more civilized and advanced societies in the universe from Rodney's mind. "Umm no… a lot of peoplo can't afford to pay for it, and of those that can, some aren't worth the time." Recalling several people from his own youthful tenure, it seemed to him that many of those in his program were complete and utter morons.

Dephany continued to pester him with all the wrong questions. "So what about those who are smart, but can't afford to go?"

Another difficult question, and Rodney was faced with the truth. "Well… some get grants and scholarships. Either the government or some corporation pays for their education… most don't get that chance and usually end up having to either do their own thing or work for someone else…" The subject had been changed Rodney now realized, and he felt almost offended that it had changed so easily. "Hey! We were talking about you..."

A few small chuckles, and Dephany rubbed Rodney's bruised chest as she spoke. "Hahaha, sorry… I guess I'm still really curious about your people too… " A moment to take a breath, and Dephany continued. "… well.. once I got to around 10 they started me as a lab assistant. My whole life revolved around science and technology so I've been around it for as long as I can remember."

"What about your parents?"

A shrug, and even more disturbing thoughts to Rodney. "I don't really know them… they both died when I was around 5. Before that all I knew was that it was their genetic material that made me who I am."

With horror, Rodney realized that this relatively intriguing woman before him was grown in a test tube. "Wait… so you…?"

Dephany nodded and squeezed Rodney a little tighter. "Yeah… I guess you must think I'm some kind of monster now…"

As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Rodney did sort of see her a little differently, He'd never actually tell her, and Rodney figured that with some time he could accept it, so he replied instantly as he knew best. "What?! No! Look at you! If you're a monster than I've been grossly misinformed about how smart and attractive they are."

Rodney figured he must have been channeling Sheppard at that point, since Dephany's smile was wide enough to fit a whole sandwich. "Really? You think I'm… smart?"

It was the last thing Rodney expected, usually when he complimented a woman's looks and her brains, her looks won out in their incredulity. "Uhh… well yeah. Not everyone knows about fusion…" It was too weird for Rodney to have that strange reversal, and he had to ask. "So you're more worried about being smart than attractive?"

With a snort, Dephany moved slightly over to get on top of Rodney's thigh. "Are you kidding? All I ever heard from the soldiers at Raven Rock is 'Let's propagate the intellect!…' or 'I'd love to spread the human race with you.'… Pft… assholes."

Rodney remained silent, was that her knee making that motion next to his groin? Holy Crap! "Uhh… well… I uhh… I guess it takes a really… oh god!"

No more words between them, as Rodney tried to figure out how Dephany did the things she did under the sheets. Slowly but surely, Rodney was liking this planet and some of the Enclaves ideas more and more.

---------------------------------

"_Raaarggh!"_

John had always been a pretty stable and calm child. It wasn't until after his mother died that he began to have nightmares, but even then it was tame compared to what he saw before him.

The Behemoth clearly outclassed any enemy he'd ever met before. With the exception of the Replicators, John wasn't sure bullets would do anything against such a strong looking enemy. It didn't even carry a standard weapon, instead opting to carry a makeshift club made of various metal parts all welded and strapped together.

It was slowly moving towards GNR, taking down concrete walls with impunity. John saw it walk into a line of heavy 5mm fire from a mounted minigun in one of the windows of the radio station, and simply laugh off the pain.

The concept of falling back, retreat quickly entered John's mind. But seeing the Brotherhood soldiers fighting… and a few bodies already strewn about made John quickly renege that idea. He took cover behind a burned out husk of a car and took aim.

His first burst didn't even get the monster's attention, simply another hail of bullets in a sea of projectile fire. Not even the razor thin beams of laser energy from up and behind John do much but annoy the beast. He quickly turned on his radio and listened to the various screams coming through.

"_Stay on target! Steel be with us!"_

"_It's too strong! We need heavy weapons!"_

"_Reload, reload!!"_

"_Where's the Fat Man!? Who's got the fucking Fat-Man!?"_

"_Wallace had it! Gimme that launcher!"_

More screaming and more cursing, Now a pair of missiles spat out from the sandbags of GNR and momentarily stunned the creature. Its skin peeled off slightly but from what John could see, it was the thickest hide of leather he could have imagined a creature having.

"_No effect! Oh god… Oh god it's coming!"_

John watched in horror as the Behemoth moved to where fire had slackened, probably from a soldier reloading and not asking for cover fire, and reach out with it's huge hand. The screams of the Brotherhood soldier weren't drowned out enough and John almost was sick as the Behemoth pulled the soldier apart by his limbs like some ragdoll.

"_Goddammit! Lance is down! Suppressive fire, Suppressive fire!!"_

"_Oh god!... it's barely hurt…! Where's the fucking heavy weapons?!"_

Finally, Hoss's voice came in louder and clearer than anyone else's. John could clearly hear it through the rapport of his own rifle next to him. "All Brotherhood paladins, concentrate fire on the neck and head of the Behemoth. We need Fat-Man support, who has the launcher?!"

John saw the Brotherhood paladin nearby firing his shotgun as he barked orders. The suppressive fire from the bunker began to have more effect, and John added his own rifle to the mix. He noted with an odd sense of regret and pleasure that Alicia's laser shots were quite well aimed, cutting searing wounds into the neck of the giant beast.

RL-3 was going crazy, his plasma projector was set on full auto and John could see steam coming from the chassis as the robot screamed. "Not even God will wanna sort you out once I'm done with you!"

"_Wallace! Wallace had it! Wallace had the Fat-Man!"_

"_Where the fuck is he?!"_

"_Near the fountain! He bought it right at the start!"_

"_Goddamnit! The fucker's on top of it!"_

John could see it, he fired another two bursts and ejected the clip as he made out the distinctive shape of what the brotherhood soldiers were calling a "Fat-Man" Hoss had steadily been moving closer to John, his shotgun hissing from repeatedly firing.

The Behemoth was wounded now, but it's giant makeshift club kept the brotherhood soldiers back and away from retrieving the heavy weapon. A few missiles came out from the bunker, but for the most part the Behemoth simply shrugged the pain off and tossed great boulders of concrete back suppressing its attackers.

Hoss finally crouched next to John and screamed over his headset. "Were you serious about taking on the Enclave?!"

With such an out of place question, John replied without thinking. "If it means I get my man back, you're fucking right I'm gonna take em on!"

Hoss seemed to actively pant for a moment, as if getting himself ready. "Once I give you the signal, run out there, grab that fat-man, and save my men! Ready!?"

John didn't understand what Hoss was planning, but knew the situation was getting desperate. 4 Brotherhood paladins lay either shattered from club hits, or torn to pieces by the Behemoth's incredulous strength. "What!?"

Hoss took John by the shoulder and screamed a final sentence. "Take the girl with you! Don't be a hero!"

And with those words, Hoss left John's midst and charged out towards the Behemoth. John was for a moment confused, but saw that Hoss was heading to one of the torn soldiers who had a flamethrower still attached to his dismembered torso. "HOSS!"

The Paladin didn't bother to listen, and within seconds he'd picked up the Flamethrower and primed it. "Hey! You mutated piece'a shit!"

The Behemoth heard the scream, and turned to see who was taunting it. Hoss rushed forward and to the side where an alley led, strafing all the way.

"_Shit is that Hoss!?"_

"_Holy fuck! He's taking the Behemoth on!"_

"_Steel have mercy on him…"_

John was speechless, his HA70 Assault Rifle still in his hands unloaded, Montgomery Hoss was showing John exactly what it meant to be a hero in the Wasteland. "Come on you big dumb cocksucker! You wanna pick on someone, you pick on me!"

Hoss moved closer and closer to the Behemoth as he screamed, and finally he got within range. The flamethrower spat out torrents of flame, the heavy liquid fuel sticking to the Behemoth's skin and continuing to burn. It howled in sudden agony, and swung it's club in Hoss's general direction.

The paladin had expected it, and he backpedaled just out of the way of the firehydrant/club. It smashed into the concrete below making a circular crater, but the flames kept coming. _"Now! Sheppard! Now now now!!"_

John hesitated for only a moment, and knew what he had to do. He dropped the HA70 Assault Rifle to the floor and moved out at a dead run. He could hear Alicia's voice in the background of his pipboy radio. In some twisted sense of humor, a song that spoke of giving a kiss to build a dream on serenaded him as John rushed into the firing lines. _"Colonel Sheppard!"_

John felt the bullets flying overhead, and the screams of men cursing him. Hoss continued to distract the beast with the flamethrower, all the while screaming like a drill sergeant with a temper. John skidded to a halt by the body of the fallen Paladin and raised the weapon. It was already loaded, and all John had to do was aim and pull the trigger.

The bulkiness made it hard to aim, and John had no clue how powerful this weapon was. For it to be enough that Hoss would risk his life to get access to it… _"Fire in the Hole!"_

John aimed carefully, centering the iron sights of the heavy weapon onto the Behemoth's neck. Squeezing the trigger carefully, a hydraulic piston inside whined and launched the Mini-Nuke inside towards the Behemoth.

John had no clue of this of course, and as the nuke arced gracefully through the air, Paladins even inside the Bunker took cover.

The blast was brilliant, and John was knocked off his feet by the massive explosive force in the projectile. His eyes were blinded as if he'd been hit by a flashbang and John could swear he'd misplaced his brain.

John was lying on top of the fountain now, half his body submersed in the mildly radioactive water. The amount of soreness his body felt was criminal, and time seemed to pass without halt. John couldn't help but notice his Geiger counter ticking off and slowly dropping. _'what kind of world makes a friggin nuclear grenade launcher!?'_

He slowly pushed himself off and dropped onto his back from the fountain. Coughing up just the hint of blood, John realized he must have taken the brunt of the minute nuclear shockwave. He'd understood that the "Fat-Man" was probably going to be a rather powerful weapon if it could take out a Super Mutant Behemoth, but he was totally unprepared for the sheer destructiveness of it.

It took a few moments, but finally someone had come to check to see if he was still alive. "Sir… Sir! Are you alright sir!?"

John had his eyes open, and yet he couldn't see who it was. Everything was a blur and only the sound of the voice was indicative of who had come to help him. "Leese?"

Alicia nodded absentminded as she began to pull Sheppard up from his prone form. She tried not to look towards the area where a trio of Brotherhood paladins used shotguns and flamethrowers just to doubly make sure the Behemoth was dead. The said creature was smoldering and the sickly taste of burnt flesh filled the air. Alicia had smelt it before, when incendiary devices were used in Iraq against heavily defended positions. It was a smell she'd hoped never to taste again. "Yeah… come on ya big lunx, god knows I should just leave you there to whine."

John barely caught the rebuke, but he knew that something had changed. To the other side, a familiar gleeful voice. "If I ever needed proof God exists, it's the way a Mini-Nuke brings em together for one blast, then tears em apart! Hoo-Rah!"

John had been considering asking Carter to keep RL-3 after everything as a pet and unofficial team member. Seeing that the little bastard was nuke-happy, John began to reconsider his thinking.

--------------------------------------

"Are you sorry you did this?"

Again, Dephany's social meter seemed to be just a little off. Rodney couldn't help but imagine what it must have been like for all his friends before he'd learned to be more calm and casual despite the freakouts. "What? No! you keep asking me all these questions and I can't help but wonder… where's it coming from?"

Dephany was mostly on top of Rodney, each holding the other. The scientifically minded woman wasn't used to anything beyond a one night stand for… biological purposes… and intended for Rodney to realize that. "It's just… Rodney, as weird as this might sound you're the closest thing I've ever had to a boyfriend."

It was one of the most disturbing things Rodney had ever heard. He was reminded of something Sheppard once told him, that unlike men, _all_ women were master players when it came to the game of love and lust. Rodney had slowly come from the naivety of the average, to the relative obscure knowledge that came with experience. To suddenly be faced with a woman from a completely different culture… It astonished him that such a thing was possible. "OH! Uhh… Well… I uhh… that's..."

With a sigh, Dephany patted him on the chest to try and show that an answer wasn't necessary. "It's okay Rodney… I guess we are kinda pushing the limits… Didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend back home?"

While Jennifer may have been in Rodney's mind before, certainly he'd completely forgotten about the cute voodoo doctor when the lovely scientist in front of him offered herself to ease his suffering. It felt wrong, it felt seedy, and certainly Rodney didn't feel like the gentleman he'd been raised to be… But god_damn!_ Did it ever feel great! "I'm… I don't know Deph… I want to say she'd understand but… well I would think these are some extenuating circumstances…. Also it's been almost 2 and half weeks and they haven't come for me so i… but the Daedalus was on it's way back to Earth… I guess I'm trying to say…."

Dephany snickered to herself and gave him a gentle shove in tease. "You're babbling again…. But thanks. i… I'm not sorry about this either."

Rodney pulled her closer and took a deep whiff of her hair. While not the best smell he'd ever had, the fact that she sighed contentedly and rested her head made Rodney feel that maybe he'd be okay…

--------------------------------

"Despite my belief that the mental stability of the man is in question, Paladin Hoss is a true warrior. If god wants him, he'll have a hell of a fight on his hands."

John was still getting used to RL-3's sacrilegious yet oh so hilarious screams of encouragement. The Nuclear blast from the Mini-Nuke had been mostly absorbed by the Super Mutant Behemoth, but Hoss still caught a significant heat wave and radiation burst that ignited his flamethrower. The man's power armor had barely kept him alive and even as John was helped to limp into GNR, Hoss had to be stretchered in.

Paladin Hoss was a hero, as was John Sheppard. The Brotherhood scribes who resided in the basement of GNR took careful mention to show that neither had hesitated to do what needed to be done, and the potential sacrifice of one man had saved the entire outpost.

It was tearing John apart. That's not what happened. Hoss had jumped in without warning him properly, not taking a moment to think of another plan. The Paladin forced John to see what being a hero meant in the wasteland, the pain that sacrificing too much would do to the human spirit.

So now as John looked at Alicia finally injecting the last of the planned stimpacks into her shoulder, he was confused. "Hey Sarge…?"

RL-3 nodded it's sensor diode and saluted. "Sir!"

"If we took Captain Vega with us… what chance do we have against the Enclave?"

A whirring sound, and RL-3 replied a moment later. "Given her improving condition, chances improve to 15.2 percent if we remain with the weapons we have now."

John furrowed his brow, and wondered what could possibly be stronger than the guns they already had. "Better guns? Like what?"

RL-3 stiffened, it seemed to improve his mood to speak of weapons of mass destruction. "Sir! With Fat-Man support, and an Energy Weapon upgrade, Chances improve to 31.8 percent."

John looked at the launcher lying on the table. It was certainly the strongest hand held weapon he'd ever seen. It was a disturbing thought to realize that he'd been carrying a mini-nuke around with him ever since first coming to GNR. "Any other way of improving the odds?"

It was an instant reply. "Reinforcements!"

John smirked, but it was a dejected one. "Doesn't look like we'll get much a chance of that. With Hoss down and so many casualties here, I doubt the Brotherhood will have the strength to launch an attack."

A voice came in from the side, a surprisingly familiar one. "When one Brother or Sister of Steel falls, another 2 are reforged from the ashes."

It was one of the last faces he expected, but it wasn't unwelcome at this time. "Sentinel Lyons… kinda surprised to see you here."

The sentinel nodded and motioned to the Fat-Man. "You could say I was in the neighborhood." The blonde woman held her hand out in friendship, and John replied in kind with his now callused and blood stained one.

John was happy to see a familiar face, but something told him it wasn't going to be the best reunion ever. "As glad as I am to see you, I'm guessing you weren't sent here on a vacation."

Sarah Lyons shook her head and almost imperceptibly sighed. "No… I was sent here to begin a strategic assessment of our forces in the area. The fight against the Enclave has not been going well and…"

The hesitation was noticeable, and John wasn't sure about whether it was a good thing or not. "…and we're the only ones having any success."

Sarah sat down and sighed heavily, her hands flexed in response to her aggravation. "To put it mildly. Our forces have been forced into a defensive posture and I don't know how much longer we can last." Her face turned into a more somber one, and John could feel the anguish in her soul. "The Brotherhood is dying Sheppard. Most of our original brothers deserted my father and became the Outcasts, many of the paladins you see here in this bunker are the best the wasteland could offer us during the great scourge."

John had no clue was Sarah was talking about, but he nodded seeing that she wanted to vent. "Alright."

"We have been fighting to contain the super mutants and have only been able to stonewall them within the downtown ruins… it has been 20 years of endless combat and so much death. The Brotherhood is losing its hope, their will to continue the fight."

Now John understood. "And then the Enclave showed up."

Sarah's face became impassive, John had seen that look many times and knew it was one of muted rage. "They are not invincible; I have killed them with my own two hands. Torn the bloodied helmets from their fascist skulls…" that stone face softened just a tad, and Sarah turned to face John. "…But I am only one soldier. Our essence as a whole is fading, and I do not see much time left before we face total defeat."

John remained silent, unsure of how to try and support the dejected soldier.

Sarah suddenly lost some of her dejection, and she took John's hand again in a strong clasp. "… and then you and Alicia came." It was a quiet moment, and for a moment John feared what might happen. "You showed us that we are not alone, and that the Enclave is not invincible nor are they the superpower we fear them to be. You are the only ones to see any visible success against the Enclave apart from My Pride, and you have restored my faith that we will succeed in this battle."

It was a sobering moment, John had no clue he and Alicia were becoming so important to the Brotherhood. "I… I don't know what to say. I'm just trying to get my friend back."

With a nod of her head, Sarah smiled. "And it is exactly that spirit I wish to return to the Brotherhood. We have lost so much, and our forced are thinned each day. I look around here today and I see men who have received new hope. Soldiers who are not simply waiting for their turn before the forge that awaits us all."

John had to admit, as far as religiosity goes, the Brotherhood of Steel had some damn cool aspects to their culture. "I guess I'm glad to be of help."

RL-3 had remained silent throughout the entire conversation, not bothering to interject as he saw the words 'hope' and 'will' to be only human weaknesses. Colonel John Sheppard may be for the most part a 'good' man. But RL-3 knew at heart that Colonel Sheppard was more interested in his own mission than helping these Brotherhood coo-coos.

Off to the side, Alicia was sitting on her own and contemplating what was to become of her in the following days and weeks. Being alone in the Citadel wasn't what she thought was pulling a good duty… let alone… _OH CRAP! Sawbones!!!_

Of course John knew nothing of this, and simply continued his conversation with Sentinel Lyons. "So what did you really come down here to do?"

Sarah smiled, John Sheppard appeared to be an astute and perceptive man. "Since you seem aware of it anyway, you're right. I'm not here simply to tally our forces… I'm here to ask for your help. And in return, I will provide you with any logistical and material resources we can spare to you."

It was a good deal… at least on paper… and before John knew what they actually wanted. "Pretty generous, what'dya want from me?"

"Both of you…" Sarah looked over to Alicia and noted how the woman seemed strong despite her obvious injury. "… I have discussed it with my father and we wish to offer you entry into the Brotherhood. You would each receive the full support of all Brotherhood forces in contact with the Citadel as they become available, as well as specialized weapons. I have a Lyon's Pride issue suit of Power Armor for each of you as well if you desire."

John liked what they were offering, but he still didn't know the catch. "Sorry to nitpick, but I'm still not hearing what you want in return."

Sarah took a deep breath, and stood up to her full height. "The Brotherhood wishes for you and Alicia to continue fighting the Enclave… on your own. You're inspiring us to continue fighting, and Three-Dog's message has created an uproar throughout the wasteland."

The feeling John had earlier now made sense. The Brotherhood was looking for hope, but unwilling to risk lives for such an intangible goal. "So no strike force when Three-Dog finishes triangulating?"

Sarah sighed, and clenched her fists again. "As of this moment, if Paladin Hoss dies of his injuries, there will be only 173 Brothers and Sisters in the Brotherhood that are combat ready. Another 30 are being trained as initiates, but against the Enclave they will be little more than fodder." She turned her head away and bit her lips. "I would not ask this of you if I did not believe it for the best. We need every soldier we have just to hold onto the Citadel and Galaxy News. If we lose either, the Brotherhood is finished. I am prepared to offer the two of you all I have mentioned in the hopes that you will stand more chance against the Enclave than embittered Brothers."

It hurt to hear those words coming from such a strong woman, and John could see that Sarah herself was having trouble coming to grips that she was basically asking John and Alicia to go on a suicide mission. But John knew right from the start that this was likely to happen, and that was one of the main reasons he didn't want Alicia to come with him.

But now? There was so much more at stake. If the Brotherhood had the strength to repel the Enclave, Alicia would likely give them great benefit. But if things were really as bad as Sarah was telling him, the Citadel wasn't any safer than the rest of the Wasteland… probably more dangerous seeing as it would be a primary target for the Enclave.

Finally John rethought his decision, it had taken the collective will of an entire Brotherhood of people, and the risk they were taking for the chance of living their lives, but John finally knew what he had to do. "Alright… We'll do it. You can tell all your people that once Three-Dog gets us the location, we're going to rescue our friend… and any Enclave that get in the way are gonna crisp in their armor."

Sarah's smile was something of a blessing, John hadn't seen anyone in this place other than Moira Brown (and she was clearly quite insane) smile like that. A real smile, one that showed the hope within.

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"So did I win the bet?"

Rodney turned to Darrows as they began to pack up their stuff. The trip to the Citadel was going to take about 2 days at a steady pace, and Rodney was determined not to have to hunt for his food in the radioactive waste of downtown. "Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

Darrows smirked and chuckled. "Come on Doc, don't tell me you forgot already!?"

Rodney was honestly confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The lascivious smile Darrows gave Rodney made him wish he'd not asked and simply given him an answer. "The birthmark! Come on, I saw the two of you this morning. You had the same face I had when I left Moriarty's to come find you."

It took a few seconds for Rodney to realize what the Enclave Soldier was talking about, but it soon slapped him like a slippery fish across the face. "What are… Oh! OH! Oh the for the love of god man! What kind of a question is that to ask about a lady!?"

Darrows chuckled and packed a few spare MicroFusion Cells into his armor. "The kind that I wanna know! Come on… I won't tell her you told me."

Rodney hadn't even realized that his former sentence had given away his actions of the night prior, so his denial fell on flat if somewhat amused ears. "There's nothing to tell! What exactly did my face this morning have in common with yours?"

As if summoned, Rob came down from his upstairs room with a quirky looking woman trailing behind him. "Probably the same thing he's got with mine."

Rob reached the bottom of the stairs, waited for the woman to pass him by, then gave her a quick spank on the bottom. "Oop! Rob! You silly devil you!"

Rodney couldn't help but notice the woman had a rather interesting way of speaking, almost as if ignorance could be expressed with a tone. Rob's reply was also quite surprising. "Aw ya know ya love me. Now scram, Craterside Supply ain't gonna run itself and you're not hiring me ever again."

The red haired woman took it in stride, and plopped a kiss on his cheek. "Oh come on! How was I supposed to know the mole rats would explode? And I still want to do some testing on various drugs and their long term…"

Rob's eyebrows raised and he instantly leaned over and picked the woman up. "Oh no you don't! You're not talking me into anymore crazy experiments for the good of science! I'm still trying to get over the whole radiation thing. I swear my genes are still crying."

The woman giggled madly as Rob carried her out of the house draped over his shoulder. Rodney would have laughed had it not been so strange a sight. The woman kept babbling something about testing her latest idea and writing a new book when Rob slammed the door shut and leaned against it in a shocked and frightened pose. "The things I do for a good lay… God that woman is gonna be the death of me."

Darrows didn't hold back his laughter and instead began to load bullets into the spare magazines of the HA70 Assault Rifle he carried. "Girlfriend?"

Rob's look of horror said all that needed to be said… until he spoke that is. "Oh sweet god no! I'd probably eat a live hand grenade if I actually thought of her like that… she's fun, she's pretty creative in bed… but by no means is Moira Brown anything even resembling sane!"

Try as he might, Rodney just couldn't help it. It wasn't the kind of joke he typically laughed at, but after so much happening to him here in the wastes, it seemed appropriate for the wholehearted belly laugh.

It was good to laugh again.

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_A/N: Nice long chapter to make up for a long wait. I've got tomorrow off so I'll probably end up pumping out another chapter just to have it ready :p Glad yer all stickin!_


	27. Intermission of DOOM!

**Intermission of Doom!! **

_Well... not really. but i know alot of people have been waiting for a new chapter and unfortuntely i __just can't bring myself to do it.__ I've got a whole storyboard for the rest of the story (including Mothership) but i just don't feel the muse striking as it did 's just difficult for me to actually sit and write since... argh i don't even know anymore._

_Not to say i'm not going to try and finish this, I know how annoying it is to read a fic and never get closure, i've been burned as well and it sucks. I'm not going to be finishing this any time soon, but i want you all to know i do plan on finishing it... as soon as the muse recharges enough that i can pump out the chapters like before.  
_

_So here's what i've got now, not very long at all, but at least it pushes the story ahead a bit. _

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"Captain…"

Alicia turned from her seat at the edge of the sentry position and looked at Sheppard. "Yes Colonel?"

This was gonna be one of the more difficult things John had had to to since coming to this planet. Having her go to the Citadel meant she'd more than likely be safe… for a time. But if Sarah Lyons was right and the Brotherhood was being whittled down to its knees… "I have a problem and I'm going to need your advice."

With a turn of her brow, Alicia moved forward and stood by Sheppard as he looked down the staircase of GNR. Three Dog was about to begin his hijacking of Enclave Radio and the Brotherhood soldiers were eagerly awaiting it. "Uhh… Okay… What do you need sir?"

John fought the smirk, of course she'd be confused. He'd been acting as her commanding officer instead of her friend for the past 3 days and it must have been a real insult. The ironic thing about this whole ordeal was that RL-3, a robot with no real humanity to it had been key in showing John just what the wasteland was making him think. "As you know, the Brotherhood recruits people from the Wasteland in order to bolster their ranks."

Around him, Brotherhood soldiers tuned into their radios as Three-Dog started his program. The dark skinned man's words came in jubilous and excited. Alicia only paid minor attention as John spoke. "Yeah… Sentinel Lyons told me about it."

The radio began to squawk, and Three-Dog's joyous voice came through loud and clear. "_People of the capital wasteland! It is I, The underdog, the overdog! And the attack dog… so that makes me a Three-Dog! Hahaha Boys and girls… Have I got something special for you today…"_

John ignored the broadcast and kept speaking. "Because of this, they are unable to send a strike force with me and RL-3 to the Enclave."

Alicia began to get the hint, and the urge to say 'told you so' was strong, but not impossible to resist. "So RL-3 is going with you sir?"

Now came the difficult part, John listened to Three-Dog's announcement for a second or 2 longer before speaking. _"… earlier this week, our latest heroes of the Capital wasteland… Spiky and Cutie along with my good Friend Paladin Hoss, and a psycho little ball of guts named RL-3 succeeded in taking down a significant Enclave Outpost near Canterbury Commons…"_

John kept his voice low, but strong. "Yeah… and that presents me with a small problem." John gulped and blew a quick breath. "Listen, this is the only time you're ever going to hear this from me. I'm sorry."

Hearing those words come from John's lips was oddly arousing. Did Alicia somehow inadvertently defeat him? "Pardon sir?"

Groaning softly, John listened to Three-Dog on the radio. "_…They then proceeded straight here, to Galaxy News to deliver to me one of the greatest gifts a dog could ask for… *sniffle* It's so beautiful…"_

John ground his teeth and scratched his stubbled chin. "Don't push it Leese. I'm sorry I treated you like a child okay? You happy?"

An edge of a smirk hit Alicia's mouth, and she decided to push just a little further. "Permission to speak freely?" John grimaced and nodded, obviously ready for whatever punishment Alicia had in store for him. "No… not particularly. You really hurt me."

Gulping, John again paid attention to the broadcast in order to momentarily leave this awkward moment. "_I do have some sad news however… Paladin Hoss was critically wounded defending Galaxy news from one of those godforsaken mutations… I'd like to ask you all to pray for him as he's been a great supporter of the good fight, and losing him would be a tragedy in every sense of the word."_

Remembering what Hoss had told him, John knew he had to sit back and endure this. "Yeah I did… and you need to understand that it's because I don't want to see you get hurt for backing me up on…." John chuckled a second, then looked back to her. "Well… let's just say Colonel Carter might not be so approving of my little rescue mission idea."

Seeing that John was willing to relent, but not give in completely, Alicia figured she'd tortured him enough. "I figured as much… but what would she say if I let you go out there alone and you got torn to shreds by one of those deathclaws?"

Now facing the railing, and listening to Three-Dog on the speaker, John contemplated how to finish this awkward as hell conversation. "_So now… thanks to the heroes Spiky, Hoss and Cutie… I would like to ask you all to change to the Enclave Radio station… Our latest Affiliate!"_

John kept his voice low, just enough for Alicia to hear. "Probably nothing… I did order you to stay." He turned to face her. "But you also said you'd break that order… and if you're going to do it anyway, then I'm gonna make damn sure you can back me up properly." He pulled out the pair of Brotherhood Holotags Sarah Lyons had given him. "The brotherhood is asking for our help… and they're opening their armory to us. I'm sure we can find something you'd like that isn't going to crack your ribcage open when you fire it."

Alicia smiled, John perhaps could be a bit of an ignorant fool when it came to people, but she knew the man knew combat.

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"How long is this trip going to be?"

Rob had been stressing horribly over the past few days, first Amata kicks him out of the only home he ever knew, then the goddamn Enclave kicks the crap out of him, then the same Enclave begs for his help in starting the Purifier… and now he had to deal with 2 scientists who have spent less time in the wasteland that even _he_ had! "I swear to god, if you ask me that _one _more time I'm going to shove your head up a mole rats ass and keep it there!"

To the side, Darrows chuckled and kept an eye on their perimeter. "You dhoulf lidyrn yo him Rod. Never know how crazy wastelanders can be."

Walking down the hill from Megaton towards the SuperDuper Mart, Rob turned to Darrows and hissed. "Don't think because we're not trying to kill each other I don't want to… I'm just smart enough to know you might come in useful."

Given the fact that both men were armed with very high tech weaponry, a fight between them would only be a spectacle to watch. Darrows replied just as nonchalantly. "That's nice of you to mention. If we do end up fighting, I'll put it on your epitaph."

Rodney for that matter couldn't wait to get somewhere that was as safe as Rob had said the Citadel was, dozens of heavily armed Brotherhood Soldiers… Giant Gort Style Robots.. .the last bastion of technology the Wasteland had.

When he felt Dephany's arm come around him though, he started to wonder how it was that he'd literally walked ass backwards into this situation. Certainly he'd never thought he'd be wielding a Laser SMG that looked like something out of Halo, or that he'd end up sleeping with a woman who had pretty much been the cause of so much pain and disillusionment.

If you'd asked him when he first came to Pegasus whether he'd be willing to kill, the answer would have been much more complicated and longwinded that the atypical "yes" he'd answer it with now.

Rob and Darrows continued arguing until they both noted a sound ahead. Darrows held his hand up the same way Sheppard would, and Rodney pulled Dephany down to hide behind a rock face with him. His breathing was heavy, and Rodney remained abnormally silent.

Dephany for that matter was catatonic, there was no telling what could possibly have the two men ahead of her worried, and she was unwilling to peek ahead to find out. She kept an arm on Rodney to make sure that she was kept in the loop to a degree. "What is it?"

"I don't know… I don't want to know…"

Ahead of them, Rob and Darrows moved ahead slowly, both knowing enough about tactics to support each other, but remained within weapons range of each other at the same time. It was a tense standoffish mode of staying safe, and Rodney peeked out simply to know what might kill him.

Below near the front of the SuperDuper Mart, a giant scorpion like creature was fighting a bunch of giant ants. Clearly, someone had forgotten to turn their monster of the week machine off.

Rob waved to Darrows and signaled him to move ahead, Rob took a high position and set up his bipod for his gauss sniper rifle. It would be an easy shot, but he knew that the scorpion could easily close the distance. Darrows understood the plan quickly, and stealthily moved down to hide behind a wrecked car. Rodney saw that they were going to fight, and decided to have a say in just whether he would die or not. "Come on!"

Dephany remained silent and clutched the small Wattz 1000 laser pistol Rob had loaned her for the trip. A lot more effective than a typical projectile weapon, it was right up the scientist's alley. She followed Rodney as they crept forward, Rob instantly noting them and rolling his eyes. Rodney took up a flanking position (He'd have to thank Sheppard for getting him Military Jargon for Dummies last Christmas) and waved to Dephany to stay down.

The Enclave scientist for that matter was looking at Rodney strangely, something had changed in him, and it was more than the scraggly stubble on his chin, or the way he'd leaned out from having to only eat the essentials. Rodney was changing… and Dephany didn't like it.

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A/N: _Sorry for making it so short, but something is better than nothing until i can get back into the zone._


	28. Spiky and Cutie Ride again!

**Chapter 28 – _Spiky and Cutie ride again!_**

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**A/N:** I'm baaack!

Well okay, maybe I won't be updating frequently, but something is better than nothing. I've got another series running and I'm still wanting to finish this. I've also rediscovered my love of Fallout 3 (admittedly the FOOK 2 Mod had a lot to do with it) and I've made a few… _changes_ to my original storyboard. (nothing drastic, and any suggestions being considered will be credited, though quite a few sugestions i already had on my mind)

Of course, none of you know that, and as long as my fingers keep from typing what I'm thinking, none of you will be the wiser…

_Right?_

This chapter isn't that funny, but it pushes the story along at a brisk pace with some decent action. Next chapter will have plenty of funnies and action :D (and I've come up with a way for the battle of Project Purity to have some of the funniest stuff yet. OMG you're not going to believe what I've done :P)

In related news I've started a thread on the fanfic section of Gateworld that'll have screenshots with captions with the Fallout 3 versions of John and Alicia as well as a few of Rodney's gang. _(mostly the comical moments)_

Kinda hard to do Rodney though… especially because he has a bigger group traveling with him and his scenes will be… _different_. I'll see what I can do though.

For those awaiting it, The next 3 chapters will lead into the battle for Project Purity. I've made a few changes (nothing too drastic) and for the most part the vanilla Fallout 3 story is the same. The two weeks between Fallout 3 and Broken Steel have an original story though, and I think you're all going to enjoy it :D

The pacing is also going to be a _little_ faster and slow down for those epic moments :P

So enjoy, the first chapter in a good while but not the last :D

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"Eugh, hate these fuckers. "

Darrows nodded in agreement to Rob's claim. "Yer telling me. These bastards used to be hand sized before the Great War." Using his power-armored boot, Darrows crushed the still slightly twitching head of the freshly killed Radscorpion. "Disgusting."

Rob turned in his combat armor and put a hand up to his mouth. "Hey RotoRouter! Stop watering the plants and get yer ass down here!"

Hiding behind a tree with the Alien blaster/Ancient Energy Pistol, Rodney had to actively force himself not to aim the weapon at the young man. His mouth was fully let loose though. "Keep calling me that and I assure you you'll know how it feels!"

Both Rob and Darrows chuckled, Rodney's threats were hardly threatening, though Darrows had plainly noticed that Rodney was developing a hell of a mental callus. "Aw calm down Doc, the real party ain't gonna start till we get near those brotherhood assholes." He turned to Rob and growled. "They better not shoot first or I sure as hell am gonna shoot last."

Rob chuckled and shook his head idly. "I can't _wait_ for you to meet Sarah."

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Alicia saw John sitting by the fountain thinking to himself. The only way she could tell it was him was the tousled black hair and black bandana he'd decided to start wearing.

Wordlessly, she moved forward, very comfortable in the new Brotherhood Mark II Combat Armor Sentinel Lyons had provided.

With RL-3 off doing gods knew what, Alicia had taken the down time to visit Hoss who was still in a coma. 50% of his body had 3rd degree burns and his radiation count was high. Alicia herself had gotten checked out by the medic _(With RL-3 watching over thank god) _and her shoulder was back to full working order.

John hadn't bothered getting checked out, but Alicia knew he was likely physically okay. Bruises healed, that crazy radaway drug made you piss out your radiation… No, it was likely he just felt like crap.

Admittedly it was partially her fault. Yes he did treat her like a child, and yes she did become bitchy. But he was only looking out for her. Air Force or not, the man had to fight his instincts.

Wordlessly, she moved to sit next to him. His own new armor had a nice shine to it, the magnetic holster on his back held his new smaller armor piercing weapon; A G-11 something or other.

Alicia had to shift a bit to get comfortable on the chair, the massive Ion Sniper Rifle that she'd chosen was designed to penetrate armor, not accommodate a person's sitting habits.

John didn't say anything, just sat and looked out towards the destroyed ruins around them. Alicia didn't say anything for a few moments either until finally she whispered. "I'm not mad anymore."

"I know." John simply said it, not facing her. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

Blowing a soft sigh, Alicia decided that this bump in their 2 weeks here needed to end here and now. "Come on… Sarah promised she'd eat with us before we left."

John nodded and slowly got up. Whether or not they'd be okay after this was pointless now. They had a mission to complete and it wasn't going to be easy.

Alicia winced realizing that she'd have to grin and bear RL-3s presence for even longer than she hoped… the one reassurance she had was that the little ball of guts would die before giving up… Did that make him a hero?

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"Stay back from the water, Lurk's love droppin' an ambush."

Rodney had no clue was a Mirelurk was, but he stayed away nonetheless. "How much further is this place? My feet are about to go gangrene!"

Darrows chuckled and looked around the corner of the giant highway pillar. "Citadel's bout 5 klicks away. We might run into a Tin Man patrol or maybe Enclave."

Rob jumped down from a perch on top of a rock he'd taken to scout the area ahead. "Tin man patrol?"

"Brotherhood…sorry… force of habit."

Rob chuckled and shook his head idly. "You sure you Enclave? I mean, okay you're not trying to purge me from existence, but you're not what I expected at all and I've _been_ to Raven Rock."

Dephany, who had remained very quiet throughout the entire trip from Megaton to the Super Duper Mart, spoke up finally as she wrung her hands together next to Rodney. "You've been to Raven Rock? When? We've only been gone a few days."

Rob turned to them and the look on his face wasn't one of a friend. "Bout a week… your _bosses_ decided they'd ambush me and well… you guys might be okay, but I'm killing Autumn the next time I see him."

As they moved forward, Darrows turned his head to Rob slowly. "You know Colonel Autumn?"

The tone which the Enclave Soldier used was menacing. But Rob didn't seem cowed and instead cradled his Gauss Rifle. The customized black armor he wore would deflect some of the bullets form Darrow's HA70 Assault rifle, but it would be a match of tactics and not strategy. "Bastard killed my father. Nearly killed me. You got a problem with that?"

Darrows face was hidden behind his armor. It was impossible to see how he reacted to the news. "…No. Autumn's a warmonger. Eden's got the right idea with getting rid of mutants but Autumn wants to rule himself." He turned to Rodney and tensed. "Only reason I'm here is because I believe you when you say you can help us. I'm not stupid enough to think you can take me with you, but I'd rather be on the side that wins this damn war."

Rodney was speechless, up until now, he really thought that all he was going to do was stick around the Brotherhood because they had big guns to protect him. To hear Darrows say that the fate of the wasteland was ending up in his hands… Rodney had been quieter and quieter as time went by. All he wanted was to go home…

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"Alright, with the new triangulation Three-Dog's gotten using the transmitter. The Enclave base is most likely to the north west. I'm guessing you'll be able to tell from Vertibird Traffic."

Alicia nodded as she looked to the map. She still didn't like Sarah Lyons too much, but she had a grudging respect for her. "I'm guessing because they use those planes it's pretty far away. Three Dog didn't get a distance did he?"

Sarah looked to John first, and seeing that he wasn't going to take control of his subordinate answered. "He estimates it at a week's journey. The safest route is across the river to Megaton, then north to Arefu, cross the river again to avoid Talon and a few Enclave outposts we know and follow the ancient highway."

John finally spoke up and pointed to the empty area of the map. "What's here? It's only going to be me, Leese and RL-3 out there… I'd rather not get caught off guard."

Sarah nodded and sighed. "Truthfully I do not know. We've gotten reports from scouts that there is minimal Enclave presence, but there are also many reports of Super Mutant and Raider activity… With your new equipment, you should be able to hold them off as you pass through."

Alicia blew a hard sigh and rubbed her temple. "Guess that's better than Enclave or Talon… Raiders probably aren't as well equipped and we'll probably see those hulk wannabes long before they see us."

Sarah nodded, impressed that Alicia had caught on. "Exactly. The Enclave hit the Raiders hard in the first week of their operations. They've kept relatively neutral towards Talon as far as we know, and the Super Mutants just try and shoot anything down."

"So after 'Arefu'… is there anywhere we can safely bunk down?" John kept his voice neutral, more curious than anything else.

"I don't think so… most of the northern area is wasteland and raiders. I suggest you both take a strong melee weapon to deal with the wildlife so you don't waste ammo" she looked to Alicia. "That Ion Sniper Rifle we stole takes MicroFusion cells, but we're running low on our major stockpiles." She then turned to John. "And the G-11E you carry has the issue of ammo as well. 8mm Caseless is very rare in the wasteland, but some Enclave troops should carry it if you take them down." She then sighed and shook her head looking at them. "I still think you should take our power armor. There's no telling what you'll encounter out there."

John shook his head. "No… Power Armor will make us a big target. The only way we're even going to get close is stealth. I've been working on a plan with RL-3 to sneak to the Enclave base. They're probably after us anyway so the less we're seen the better."

Sarah nodded and clenched her fists. "I understand… I will tell Three-Dog to stop reporting on your achievements… or at least _where_ you succeed."

Alicia nodded and smiled softly. Maybe she'd judged Sarah too quickly. "Thank you… for everything."

The Sentinel nodded and smirked. "I _will_ want to hear more adventures of Spiky and Cutie though."

Both Lanteans groaned. They'd never outrun that title.

---------------------------------------------------------

"Alright… hope you guys are hungry. Best Mirelurk in the damn wasteland's coming up."

Rob moved forward as he holstered his weapons. Darrows on the other hand looked around and seemed on edge. "Something doesn't feel right."

Rodney recognized his stance, and even more, he too felt something beyond being in a nuclear wasteland with crazy power armored beings and a bimbo test-tube grown vixen scientist. "Dephany… stay low…" He quickly darted to the side and pulled the alien blaster from his holster, the worn combat armor he wore served well to camouflage him. Dephany's own dirty clothing did less, but Rodney was reasonably sure they were hidden.

Rob noticed the pack, and then he himself seemed to become alert. "Oh shit…" He stood still for a few moments, then dived down to the side and rolled towards the shack where Grandma Sparkle had her little store. "Ambush!"

The bullets came flying in as soon as he dove. Darrows didn't pay attention to the sparks from his armor and aimed. 4 Talon Mercenaries in light armor had taken sniper positions in the broken building next to them and had opened fire.

Darrow's HA70 Assault rifle spat thunderous suppressive fire. But the angle was bad and few rounds found their targets. Even the light Talon armor was able to deflect the badly aimed shots.

Dephany screamed and crouched low, keeping her body close to Rodney who himself felt like shrieking… well… screaming manly but the principle was the same. "Rodney! We have to get out of here!"

Rodney was so tired of running. This wasteland wanted nothing more than to rape and pillage and kill him any number of ways. He surprised even himself as he rose and fired off a trio of shots towards the sniper roost.

Only one connected, but the undercharged Ancient Handgun did it's job and severed the Talon Merc's arm from his body. He screamed as he toppled back and over a hole in the floor of the building, his scream of agony ending as he landed on shattered concrete with Rebar sticking out like a bear trap.

Darrows was shocked that Rodney was fighting back as well, but before he could say anything, the standard sonic boom of a Gauss rifle firing force him back as did the small caliber bullets that now threatened to bruise him through his armor.

The 2mm EC round punched through the concrete and tore into the Talon Merc it was aimed at. The hard kinetic force flung him back into the same pit of rebar the first merc had fallen into.

The two other Talon mercs realized that they wer outgunned and outnumbered now, and decided to live to fight another day.

Darrows didn't plan to give them the chance and fishing into his armor he pulled out a green glowing tube. Rodney recognized a plasma storage device, and felt Dephany's hands tug at him as the grenade flew up and through the window.

Seconds later, a pair of screams added to the muted explosion and blossom of green plasma, a few charred pieces of _something_ flying back down and bouncing on the floor with pulpy smacks.

Rob cursed loudly, and the door to the shack he'd jumped into came off it's hinges as he kicked. "Goddamn Talon!"

Now Rodney could see why he was so pissed off. An elderly lady of maybe 50 lay dead in the shack, her entire chest perforated with bullets.

Everyone was silent, and Dephany silently pulled on Rodney's arm to comfort her.

The strangest feeling washed over Rodney, a sort of resignation and almost disgust… but not at the sight of death, but rather the Enclave Scientist next to him that hadn't gotten used to it yet.

Rodney never likened himself to a soldier, but he'd seen so much death and devastation in the past 2 and a half weeks that he didn't know what else to do but harden himself.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Sentinel!"

The younger Brotherhood knight in combat armor scurried into the room and saluted. Sentinel Lyons nodded and barked. "Report."

"Ma'am, Paladin Tristan has just reported a new group of super mutants heading our way. He's engaged them with sniper fire but they are approaching GNR."

The Sentinel calmly nodded and looked to John and Alicia. "We can handle this, but help is always appreciated."

Alicia nodded and looked to John. "I'll take a sniper position, Spot me?" She didn't _really_ need a spotter at these ranges, but she figured if she was going to forgive him, Alicia had to show that she was serious.

John narrowed his brow, but nodded nonetheless. "Let's go."

Sentinel Lyons unholstered her modified AER9 Laser Rifle and put her hand on John's shoulder. "Steel be with you, in all your travels."

With that, the woman left, Alicia felt the sudden urge to be snarky and smirked. "I think she likes you."

Groaning softly John motioned to her. "Don't jinx it, now come on!"

The first joke in awhile, and a bad one at that, but at least Alicia knew John was starting to feel okay.

John on the other hand was starting to feel as if this wasteland had nothing but death. Alicia's attempts to cheer him up helped, but the though of what might happen to them or even Rodney… god he had no clue what might have happened to Rodney. His biggest hope was that the scientist was still at the Enclave base and the worst he'd had to endure is a citrus reaction or maybe the same as he'd had the past few days, a little unsettled stomach problems.

------------------------------------------------------

"Why are they after you?" Dephany asked.

Rob sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Because I diffused the goddamn bomb in Megaton. There were… _people_ who wanted to blow it up."

Rodney scoffed as he took a bite from the leftover Mirelurk Cakes from the shack. "Why doesn't that surprise me…?"

Dephany and Darrows both turned to him, though the soldier was the one to speak. "The hell's the matter with you Doc? Come on… don't say shit like that."

Rob scoffed as well and looked to Darrows. "Like you care, like you said the only reason you're here is because you think his people can do more then the Enclave. He never showed and you and me woulda had a problem."

Darrows turned and under his helmet scowled. "Who says it won't?"

Before it could dissolve into blows, Dephany held her hands up. "Wait wait wait! Please! Put yourself in his shoes!" she turned to Rodney and sighed. "I know you hate this place… and I'm just hoping you don't hate it so much that you won't help us,"

That affected Rodney, and he felt that humanity he had tried to bury breaking back through. "You're right… I do hate this place… but you're also right about the bomb… I just still can't believe people decided to build a TOWN around a NUCLEAR BOMB!"

Rob sighed, and looked at his pipboy. "You should see some of the utter dumbass fuckery I've seen in the last few months. Now come on. It gets tougher from here cuz there's usually raiders and maybe muties in the way. Stay quiet and maybe we'll get through no problem."

Rodney groaned again and double checked the Ancient Handgun/Alien Blaster. He wanted to say something snarky, but found he just couldn't from the rage.

That's what really got to him about this place. The seething hot rage he felt… the fury this place had stirred within him.

------------------------------------------------

Alicia breathed in, held it for a five count, and before exhaling gently squeezed the trigger.

The blue haze of the ion beam shot out like a laser _(though it technically wasn't)_ and bored a hole through the shoulder of the Super Mutant she'd targeted.

Beside her, John grunted acknowledgement and looked down the scope of his G-11. "Good hit! Two more coming up behind 'im"

Alicia exhaled slowly, carefully controlling her heartbeat and breathing. The five-count system worked well, the only issue was the loud bang sounds from beside her as John aimed his 14mm handgun. _(talk about overcompensation)_ and fired.

The Brotherhood soldiers fought with more heart than she'd seen in weeks. The Supermutants didn't stand a chance as they tried vainly to pick off any soldiers they could. The teamwork she saw through the scope as Combat Armored knights drew the attacking mutants into crossfire from Power Armored Paladins was heartening. Maybe she and John's presence really did improve their morale.

The battle was over quickly, almost too quickly. Alicia had just begun to think that maybe things were getting better when a familiar voice screamed. "Hoorah! Time to hit the showers!"

Alicia had the distinct feeling that RL-3 was going to forever be burned into her memory.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"I'm scared of him."

Rodney didn't know exactly how to reply. Did he reassure her? Did he agree? "I think Darrows can handle him."

The two warriors of the group moved ahead, stopping every few dozen feet to look around. "I hope so." Dephany held onto Rodney's arm, her eyes darting around the destroyed ruins around them.

It wasn't much longer that Rob held his hand up and signaled to move away from the river. "Alright… this is a good spot. Let's set up camp and take shifts sleeping."

Now Rodney couldn't take it. He'd been quiet and relatively calm _(despite the rage in him)_ and finally he couldn't take it. "Take shifts? What? Are giant gila monsters going to be nipping at me throughout the night?"

Rob narrowed his brow and looked to Darrows, then back to Rodney. "Listen doc, you're nothing special. Everyone of us has a sob story and nobody cares. So quit your bitching or I'll _make_ you stop."

Darrows did nothing to defend Rodney there, Dephany simply remained back, now opening her pack to find some food and water. Rodney grimaced and growled softly as she sat down on the hard concrete.

What kind of world was this? He'd been tortured, wounded, pieced back together from an explosion, nearly raped and nobody really cared?

Okay he could understand nobody knew him… but to not even get any sympathy? This place was fucked!

Rodney was never one to bottle his frustrations. He'd get rid of the right away to lessen the chance of an aneurism. But the way things were going, he'd more than likely end up having to go on a rampage to get rid of all this.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"I hate the subway."

"You and me both…" John growled softly as he kicked open the chain link door to the subway station. It was the only way to get out of the DC ruins where GNR was located was the subway and bad memories came to them both.

Thankfully Sarah Lyons had equipped them well, and with RL-3 following around with his 20 different ways of recharging, they weren't likely to run into many problems they couldn't deal with.

The sword like device now strapped to John's thigh was one thing he hadn't expected. He saw it that first day when Rob took down that Mirelurk, but he had no clue that plans for such weapons would exist.

The Shishkebab, a sharpened lawnmower blade with a small motorcycle gas tank and handbrake to act as a firing pin. Fuel would shoot out the hilt of the blade and spread out along the blade like a propane heater. A thick white glove prevented his hand from burning.

Alicia raised her eyebrows at the strange device and mused. "Gotta love people who combine a sword and a torch."

John flicked the switch and used it as she said. "Come on…any luck and we'll avoid the ghoulies."

RL-3 floated behind them and growled. "Ghouls, waste of ammo if you ask me, don't even bother trying to dodge!"

Alicia holstered the Ion Rifle and pulled out the high caliber SMG she had on her hip. "That's all I'm hoping for."


	29. Worries and Anger

**Chapter 29 – Worries and Anger**

**A/N:** Okay, another chapter. Sorry for the delay but with time, this story will be finished. I'll likely be updating sporadically as the muse hits me. I'll see about getting the Vanilla Fallout story done before the end of the month :)

* * *

Rodney hadn't said a word since Rob's belittling of him. Nobody here was his real friend, not even the woman who slept fitfully next to him, unconsciously cuddling up to him. This place was the worst he'd ever seen, and he prayed to god he could go home.

Jennifer was likely really worried, Ronon comforting her… god… he didn't care if they ended up _comforting_ each other right now. Nothing would make him feel better than Conan himself or Xena the Athosian Warrior princess standing watch, instead of the drug abusing and deathly sarcastic Enclave soldier who stood nearby, almost stiff as a statue.

The Brotherhood were likely the only people who knew how to get him home. Hell, if they really did reside in the former military HQ of this place, then maybe they even knew about the Stargate. The level of technology on this planet told him that likely before the war, they knew about the stargate in orbit.

It was too bad that Atlantis hadn't gotten a new psychiatrist yet, He would certainly go now, of course he wouldn't say much, but still… the company would be better.

* * *

"Light meat or dark?!"

Alicia grimaced as she pulled out the "Ripper" combat knife. "No thanks, I ate before I left!"

The Ghoul in front of them howled as John swung the Shishkebab with a heavy hand and tore into it. The alcohol fuel in the gas tank spewed out and ignited, sending the ghoul into a mad rage as he spasmed from yet another hit.

The vest wearing ghoul was likely a soldier had been exposed to too much radiation. The Wasteland Survival Guide said something about Roamers or something, but Alicia didn't care as an unarmored ghoul now charged at her. It took a pair of shots from RL-3's plasma emitter before it was close enough for Alicia. She jumped out of the way but jammed the blade into the ghoul's head. The weak skin was easily penetrated, the knife bouncing and ending up inside its eye.

RL-3 cheered as Alicia yanked out the knife who's spinning chains tore out what looked like green oozing brain. "Ripper's are like my favorite cousins! You can't go wrong with one!"

Alicia shuddered as the Ghoul quivered on the ground, but then lay dead. The four ghouls that had attacked were all truly dead now. Probably for the better.

John wiped his blade on one of his fallen targets, then sheathed it on his hip. "Come on, the less time we're down here the better."

Alicia didn't really have a better plan.

* * *

"Raiders."

Rob gave the one right in front of him a soft kick. "_Dead_ Raiders."

Chuckling, Darrows looked ahead. "Don't come any better than that."

Dephany grimaced at the state of the Raider, he was wearing several odd junk items as armor, but it had served no use against the high caliber rounds used to kill him. Rodney looked at him intensely, and found that he enjoyed it… and that in turn scared him.

Rob motioned with his head towards the front of them. "Come on, Brotherhood's not far. Maybe twenty minutes if there's no problems." He looked to Darrows. "Might wanna hang back a bit, Brotherhood Snipers have great vantage points here."

Darrows nodded, it surprised Rodney to see him be so pleasant. "Agreed. If they shoot, I'd rather you get hit first."

Rob gave Darrows a shit eating grin before turning. "You two stick with him. Last time I came here with people, Vargas tried to chew us up with his minigun."

Now frightened, Rodney did indeed move back towards Darrows as he pulled out his ancient handgun, a fusion battery now attached. Dephany stuck behind both of them, and Rodney found himself detesting her more and more. How could she have lived such a sheltered life building weapons of destruction on these levels? It infuriated him that within two and a half weeks, he'd become harder, and more accustomed to this wasteland than this woman who lived her whole goddamn life on this planet.

Rodney needed a rage dump, and he needed it soon. Megaton had been enough to keep him sane, but now he was lusting… and with this blonde scientist ready to satisfy part of that, the rest was just for blood.

* * *

"What the hell is that?"

John turned and looked. "Uhh what the hell? It's glowing."

Both soldiers moved ahead, their blades and knives drawn. Apart from the first encounter with the ghouls had been unique, and apart from a few radroaches, they'd been unopposed as they crossed the subway tunnels. Now they were both rather curious as to the glowing bottle of… _something._ sitting on top of a concrete median.

John kept his senses up and his blade ready to strike. He heard nothing, and after clearing the area, leaned in towards the bottle. "Nuka-Cola _Quantum?"_

RL-3 replied instantly. "A valuable commodity! Only a few of them exist, the last miracle product of the Nuka-Cola Company!"

Alicia turned to RL-3. "Miracle?"

John deadpanned. "Looks like it should come with a childproof cap."

RL-3 made a positive sound, something like a cheerful grunt. "Indeed! Fortified with Stontium-36, the Nuka Cola Quantum gives you a rush that no other beverage, whether it be caffeinated, vitimized, or even irradiated, Take the leap! Enjoy a Quantum!"

John gave RL-3 a sardonic glare. "The hell? It's got _radiation!?"_

To his surprise, RL-3 suddenly shook as if trying to get some water or dirt off him. "_Brrr!!_ Goddamn core programming! I swear if those Nuka-Cola investors weren't already radscorpion shit, I'd kill them twice just for the aggravation!"

Surprised by it's sudden anger, Alicia was able to deduce what he meant. "Uhh… Nuka-Cola invested in your production?"

RL-3's sensor node nodded. "Bastards insisted all Mr. Handy and Mr. Gutsy models like Nuka-Cola. I'm even programmed with an ingredient list for all their products!" Again grunting, RL-3 finished. "At least someone was smart enough to work Quantum into a miniature atomic weapon!"

John raised his eyebrows. "Atomic weapon? This I gotta hear."

* * *

"Do you think they'll be willing to help?"

Rodney didn't answer, he simply stared off into the distance. From this position, he could see in the distance the photonic resonance field that had drawn them down here in the first place. The amount he'd pay to be the one to tear them down.

Darrows answered Dephany's question. "Long as they're not the fanatics Autumn taught us, I think we'll be fine. Least you two will be. All I'm good for is killin'."

It had been awhile since Rob had jumped down from the bridge, the large newly erected fortifications of the Citadel more than enough in Rodney's mind to fight just about anything off. The Citadel looked oddly familiar, but in a society like this, he wasn't surprised that there were similarities between his and this culture.

Then again, these people weren't exactly the most technological people he'd seen. At least they had enough technology to save him from a colon blockage. On the other hand…

"Rodney?"

Again Rodney didn't answer Dephany, he kept his hand on the ancient handgun and tried to breath calmly. He'd never been this enraged before, the anger outweighed anything he could think and all he wanted to was something he could safely vent at… before he vented at the wrong thing.

Darrows could see that Rodney was in no good mood, and quietly whispered to Dephany. "_Leave him alone. He needs some time."_

Rage, unbridled unadulterated rage. Not even the idiots they'd sent him from the SGC to be his staff had ever angered him this much. Those people at least had intelligence to keep a nuclear war from happening.

* * *

"Zombie bastard…"

John stepped over the burnt out corpse of the Ghoul, RL-3 chiming in with his own curse. "Better dead than undead!"

Alicia shuddered, RL-3s witty quotes was definitely different than what she was used to. Seeing a more familiar area now, she moved ahead to where John was. "Let me go first. Last time we got jumped remember?"

John idly rubbed his chest where he'd gotten shot upon leaving this subway before. He wasn't comfortable letting Alicia go first, but he understood that she was the sniper and likely to recon the area with less chance of being detected. "… Alright. But don't hesitate. Shoot first and we'll see if Carter asks questions when we get back." He hoped the hopefulness gave her a boost, something he felt they needed.

Alicia nodded and unslung her Ion rifle. She carefully moved forward up the stairs, sneaking through the chain link door and now going prone. John crouched and waved RL-3 with him. The Robot remained silent, obviously in stealth mode.

Her breathing the only noise, Alicia held up her hand and raised three fingers. John understood, three contacts. Alicia kept her voice low. "About a hundred feet away, looks like Raiders… nothing we can't deal with."

John sighed, all this constant killing was starting to get to him but at this point, there really wasn't any other choice. "Don't waste ammo. Aim for headshots."

Alicia turned to him and after a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Yes… sir."

* * *

"Come on, Vargas agreed and Lyons is waiting. He's gonna want your guns though."

Rodney stiffened. "I'm not giving him my…"

To everyone's shock, Darrows nodded. "Do it Doc. We've got no choice now. Even if we ran, they'd chase us down from here."

Dephany sighed and put a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Come on Rod… we need their help and I don't think we can go back to the Enclave at this point."

Still furious, Rodney holstered his gun. "I'm not giving it up. But I'll unload it. If they want my help they're _not_ taking this."

Rob sighed, and then nodded. "Alright alright… just don't make any moves, they've beefed up their defenses seriously since the last time I was here. Any false move and you'll have a laser in your face before you can blink."

Darrows nodded, and holstered his rifle. "I figure they'll want my armor too?"

Rob shook his head. "Actually no. Brotherhood hates your armor. No brotherhood soldier would ever wear it, easiest way to catch friendly fire."

Making a happy sound, Darrows mused. "Maybe I'm not gonna die today. Nice."

Moving ahead now, Rodney still didn't want to think about what was going to happen.

* * *

A pair of shots from Alicia's rifle, and a well placed trio of shots from John's 14mm pistol were more than enough to take out the raiders. The odd skeleton and debris around showed that this must have been a popular ambush place.

RL-3 motioned with his arms. "The shortest route to Megaton is through the river. We're less than 2 hours away at your current rate of walking."

Alicia groaned as she stretched her arms. Not exercising properly or eating right had messed with her body more than she wanted to admit. Certain areas in her armor were snugger than she liked to admit. "Swimming? Isn't the water irradiated?"

RL-3 nodded. "Rad-X will prevent dangerous levels of radiation exposure."

John sighed, and reached into his pack. "Sarge, you wouldn't happen to know what these _taste_ like do you?"

Moving over to the dead Raiders, Alicia grimaced at what a grave robber she'd become. RL-3 replied instantly. "Taste is nothing but an olfactory sense, distracting if you ask me. All I really would want to taste is my enemies blood misting in the air!"

Wincing, and shaking her head to make it all go away, Alicia picked up the random useful ammo and stimpacks the raiders had. John ignored it as well, and once they'd grabbed it all, they quickly moved off behind the subway to where the river was.

As they approached the river's edge, John muttered. "Well… you can't say I don't take you nowhere Leese."

Alicia rolled her eyes and gingerly tested the water with her foot. The armor would likely weigh them down, but with the helmet attachment in hee pack, only the radiation would be a threat. "Too bad I don't have my lead bikini with me."

* * *

"Robert… I would think you're starting a lost an found with the wasteland!"

Rob rolled his eyes and muttered. "Good to see you too Lyons, and these _ain't_ no regular wastelanders. I think you're gonna wanna talk to Doc McKay here."

The older man stood to his full height, obviously respectful of Rodney despite his dirty appearance. "Doctor McKay… I have heard much about you."

A little surprised, Rodney reacted how he was instinctually acting now. "Where's Sheppard and Captain Voyager?"

Owen Lyons raised an eyebrow. "Direct. From what Rob has told me of your adventure here, I am not surprised." Seeing that Rodney wasn't amused, Owen nodded. "I have news of Colonel's Sheppard and Captain _Vega._ They've been out in the wasteland looking for you, and recently they were seen in the area of Megaton."

Rodney shirked his shoulders and curled his fists. "What!? You mean we missed them!?" he turned to Darrows. "We have to go back! We have to…"

Darrows shook his head and nodded forward. "Doc, there are at least 10 high powered guns aiming at my head, probably a few at you too so I don't think we're going anywhere right now."

Infuriated again, Rodney turned to Rob. "But they're there! We need to tell them to come back!"

Owen spoke up, again taking control of the situation. "I have sent a knight to Galaxy News to try and get the word out. The Enclave has been jamming all our long range radio frequencies so it will be at least 2 days before we can get the word out to them. I fear the Enclave may attack before then." He shook his head to Rodney who now turned a full 360 back to him. "Doctor. We may be in need but I will not see you in this state. Please, any luxuries or amenities we have are at your disposal." He turned to a nearby Paladin. "Gunny! You are to ensure Doctor McKay is well treated! Have Sawbones give him any attention he needs."

Rodney turned to the power armored soldier and felt a little fear. The gruff looking soldier looked Rodney up and down, then after staring at the weapon holstered on his hip, motioned with his head. "Come on, We'll get you cleaned up."

Turning back to the others, Rodney then moved off, still too frustrated and angry to do anything but what was asked of him.

Owen Lyons sighed, and then looked at Rob, Dephany, and Darrows who all stood before him. "We have much to discuss. Sentinel Lyons will be here shortly and perhaps we can come to some form of plan." He stared at Darrows. "One false move and my men will use your bones as toothpicks."

Knowing he was well and truly screwed, Darrows nodded curtly. "Without my help, the Enclave will use yours as crop fertilizer."

Owen had to admit, the Enclave did at least train their officers with intellect. "Touché."

* * *

Once across the river, John and Alicia quickly made camp inside the abandoned Super Duper Mart. RL-3 stayed outside, guarding them from any possible attack.

The Supermarket had long since been raided, restocked with stolen junk, raided again, restocked again, and now John and Alicia were enjoying a meal of fire cooked squirrel and nuka cola.

John had considered travelling through the night to Megaton, and he'd decided to leave before sunup as it was still early dusk. But he wasn't about to travel right when it was the darkest of the night. Easiest way to get jumped by something.

Sitting with his back to the wall, John sighed as he tried to rest. Alicia sat next to him, neither wearing the heavy Mark II Brotherhood Combat armor to try and get some sleep. Alicia sighed after taking a swig of nuka cola. "You okay?"

John nodded. "Yeah… just tired."

Alicia could see that John was still bothered by something. She wanted to ask him, get to the bottom of it so she could stop worrying about him. Seeing that he wasn't talking though, she realized that she'd have to make the first move. "Hey." Shifting over, Alicia sat right next to him and dropped her head onto his shoulder. "I'm not mad anymore John. Don't beat yourself up anymore."

John scoffed, and put his arm around Alicia to keep warm around the fire. "It's not that." He sighed heavily, and Alicia could tell it was something worse. John confirmed it with his voice. "Sarah didn't say it, but I could hear it in the Brotherhood soliders.. the way they talked, the way they fought… They're scared. They're on their last leg and the only thing keeping them going is us and the will to live."

Realizing that he was worrying about something rather large in scale, Alicia tried to change the subject. "At least Doctor McKay's probably safe at Raven Rock."

John grunted and shook his head. "That's just it… in two weeks he'd have been able to give them a huge advantage." John turned to Alicia, and now she understood what his unspoken fear was.

Now Alicia really understood what was going on, John had wanted to go to Raven Rock alone with RL-3, because he didn't think he'd be coming back. Even worse, he was showing doubt that Rodney was alive. Alicia hated that, he'd been so adamant for so long that Rodney was alive that now, his doubt led to her own feeling of loyalty towards her people to feel… _bad._ "We'll get him back John. I know we will."

John didn't reply, only bowing his head. "Get some sleep. RL-3'll wake us in a few hours, and we'll head to Megaton. Any luck and we might catch a trail there."

Alicia pursed her lips, then wrapped an arm around John. He was momentarily uncomfortable, but then he silently pulled her in closer as she settled on his chest ot get some sleep on something more comfortable than the hard floor. John had to admit, maybe she was off-limits, but any comfort from a woman always hit the spot.

* * *

"Sawbones is here to help!"

Rodney couldn't believe it. The robots he'd seen at the Enclave were nothing like this. "Why do you have a plasma projector? Don't tell me you cauterize wounds with that thing."

Sawbones scoffed as he flipped his arms around to show his weaponry. "I wish! These Brotherhood pansies turned off my aggression unit! Lyons promised that if the Enclave invaded though, he'd give me full clearance to kick ass and take names!"

After everything that had happened to him, the hot shower and warm meal he'd just had, as well as the surprisingly gentle examination from Sawbones that included a few sprays of Plastaskin and some other drugs that helped Rodney's body to recoup. "Well you've got a great bedside manner if you don't mind me saying so! I wouldn't think it by looking at you."

Sawbones growled intensely. He was obviously infuriated. "Goddamn Brotherhood! After Colonel Sheppard complained that I was too rough on him, Lyons had Rothchild reprogram my behavioral unit! No more tough love means no more tough soldiers!"

Rodney didn't listen to the second half, he was too keen on the name. "Sheppard? John Sheppard!? Tall, messy black hair, sarcastic?"

Sawbones nodded, and handed Rodney a new shirt. New was the operative term as it looked quite worn. "Yes, Sir! A hard soldier, but I think Captain Vega may be softening him."

Shuddering in distaste, Rodney at least had the pleasure of knowing that as long as Sheppard followed the rules, it was _he_ who had gotten the girl this time, even if she was just a blonde bimbo who'd memorized physics and chemistry. "I don't doubt it."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay okay, a little faster paced than before, but the story is getting across through pure character moments :)

Next Chapter, John and Alicia in Megaton, and Rodney finally has that long talk with Owen Lyons, Rothchild, Doctor Li, and of course…

Liberty Prime. ^_^


	30. Another Calm Before Another Storm

"Figures… how many?" John kept his head down, his rifle at the ready. RL-3 even stayed quiet amazingly, his stealth mode must have been activated.

Alicia took another deep breath, then looked down her scope again. "Five… maybe six. They all look alike so it's hard to tell."

Sitting in s small rock formation with RL-3 to the side, keeping low, the group had just spotted an Enclave outpost with the large satellite being the distinguishing feature. It stoo near the road towards Megaton, and going around would take extra time. John wasn't ready to take on more Enclave soldiers though, not after the last time. "Are they bunched up? Or spread out?" his thoughts ran to the nuka-cola grenade RL-3 had taught him to make, the Nuka Cola Quantum they'd found in the subway coming in quite handy. He still didn't understand how this little tin can was supposed to be stronger than any of the other grenades he had in his pack, but RL-3 seemed quite convinced that if that pin were pulled, to run away really fast.

Alicia shifted and checked out the outpost further, it was at the top of a hill and not easily accessible. It also had a wide view of the surrounding terrain. A difficult nut to crack with a platoon, let alone a pair of soldiers and a psychotic robot. "Spread out… they've got two sentries, two guards, and two sleeping. Shifts I'm guessing."

John winced and realized they'd have to go around, it'd be night time by the time they reached Megaton. "Damn."

* * *

With some actual regular food along with his fiber pills, Rodney was feeling pretty happy in his midsection as he followed Gunny to the Brotherhood Laboratory where apparently, the smartest minds of the wasteland awaited. After the Enclave these Brotherhood people seemed almost… _medieval _in comparison. The way they spoke gave him the impression that they saw themselves as holy warriors, another thing that worried him.

Worried, that was an understatement for how he felt. At least he wasn't having to dodge giant gila monsters and oversized roaches. Let alone the raiders which he would gladly exterminate from the face of existence now.

Entering the laboratory, a few Brotherhood soldiers gave him small nods of respect, evidently they knew who he was, and more so, gave him their dutiful praise. Rodney almost felt like he was back in his first job as a lab tech.

Down at the bottom of the stairs, a small group of people awaited him, something strange looking was in the center of this room and Rodney couldn't really figure out what it was, there were too many people working on it and different sheets of metal and other materials were getting attached or taken off. Whatever it was, it was clearly the center of attention.

The group of people were eclectic though, An asian looking woman with a long white smock, clearly a scientific woman, Elder Lyons in his loud purple blue robe, alongside another older man who looked quite serious in his dark burgundy robe. In fact, several people milling about had those dark burgundy robes. The Brotherhood certainly wasn't about fashion.

Apart from them, Dephany was here, although sticking to the back and working with another soldier on a giant looking gattling gun. Rodney didn't see any bullets though.

Elder Lyons looked up and down the newly clothed Rodney, his dark green pants and shirt standard Brotherhood clothing, but with his hair now clean, he didn't look like some savage from the wastes. "Thank you for joining us Doctor. There is much for us to discuss."

Rodney was in hardly a good mood despite his midseciotn being pleased. "Have you heard from Sheppard or V'ger?"

From behind him, a stern female voice. "_Vega."_

Turning, Rodney saw yet _another_ blonde woman walk out, this one wearing what looked like highly decorated power armor. Elder Lyons voice cut in. "Calm Sarah, Doctor McKay has been though the hell of the wasteland." He then turned as Rodney faced him again. "I have not heard from Galaxy news, but our latest reports would have them approaching Megaton. If they listen to Galaxy News, they will know you are here."

Rodney couldn't help it. His snark circuits were near overload. "Oh great, so as long as they decide to start listening to errant radio signals in a nuclear hellhole like this, they'll be _just fine."_

Sarah moved from behind him and faced off. "Watch your tongue. Sheppard and Vega have done more for us in their search for you than any other I have encountered. You do them a disservice with your petulance."

Before anyone else could reply, Rodney barked. "They wouldn't _have_ to have done that if your planet weren't a bombed out wannabe mad max!"

Elder Lyons finally growled angrily. "_Enough! Both of you!"_ Rodney silence, seeing the woman back down. "_Doctor_ McKay… as I'm _sure_ you're aware, the Enclave has begun a push on the Capital Wasteland, _many_ people are dying, people who have not had any crime but bring born in a world our forefathers left us. Colonel Sheppard was quite adamant that with your assistance, we could turn the tide against the Enclave."

Feeling _very_ confrontational, Rodney asked the ultimate question. "Why?"

The entire group looked to each other, and wondered where the good man Sheppard has spoken of was. The man in the burgundy robes spoke gently. "Doctor McKay, I am Scribe Rothchild, I know you are not from this planet and likely see this entire place as a hell hole. But this is our home whether we like it or not, and we _will_ defend it. Now can you assist us or not?"

It was another of those direct questions Rodney was getting to appreciate. So he replied just as directly. "Well unless you've got some super secret weapon that can take on entire armies, I think the Enclave is going to roll over you like a tank over bugs."

Again, the group gave each other looks of concern. Obviously the universe had decided to give them a favor, albeit an aggressive and snarky one.

* * *

It was getting late, and having to go the long way around had ended up having a few issues of its own. Alicia was tired, John felt the blisters on his feet, and even more, they'd had to kill a few rogue dogs that apparently though they could bit through the tough brotherhood armor. Obviously this planet rotted more than just ghouls into uncontrollable killing machines.

It had taken hours, and now they were fast approaching Megaton, the sun was starting to go down again which only aggravated John even more, Time was wasting and it'd been nearly 3 weeks on this godforsaken planet. He silently cursed that the Lanteans figured that gates in space were a good idea. If it had been on the planet, he could had just dialed back home and gotten reinforcements.

That was scaring him though. Why hadn't Atlantis sent reinforcements? The Stargate was ridiculously tough, he'd seen how much it took to blow one up and he didn't think _anything_ this planet had could do it. But somehow, something had blocked the stargate and now they were on their own. Daedalus would take ages to get here, another month on the outside.

Looking at Alicia,and seeing her give him a slight smile and nod, John realized that he'd lived a lifetime in these last two weeks.

Now in the gullys in front of Megaton, it wasn't _that_ surprising to see a Robot with a cowboy hat in front of the large town. "_Wel-Come, to, Mega-Ton. En-Joy, Your, Stay."_

Standing in front of the city, looking up to where a small jet engine now turned on and opened the massive doors ahead of them, Alicia mused to John. "Why do you think they called it Megaton?"

Shrugging, John replied evenhandedly. "Probably tradition, Nuclear war and al that."

Alicia turned to him with a slightly amusing worried face. "That's not reassuring."

* * *

"Gort?"

Scribe Rothchild gave Rodney a strange look. "Pardon?"

Rodney pointed up at the device Rothchild had just explained and laughed. "It's Gort!" Rothchild didn't understand it _at all _and said so. Rodney merely continued chuckling at the insanity of it. "Gort is giant robot with lasers for eyes. That's what this is right?"

Rothchild nodded, he was obviously quite frustrated with Rodney's rambling. "You could say that, But we've been having many problems with the programming of Liberty Prime. He was made for a specific battle many years ago before the Great War and as such, was programmed with those parameters. It's been difficult enough making our power sourcs compatible, this level of programming is beyond me."

Rodney groaned irratibly and shoved Rothchild aside. "Here, just let me look at this…" The older man was quite obviously bothered by Rodney's brusque manner, but wasn't about to start a fight with such an unstable man, He looked over to where Dr Li was going over the G.E.C.K. with Rob and Dephany, working out exactly how to start the project purity water purifier.

A few moments had passed, and suddenly Rodney cursed. "_Dammit!_ Okay maybe you aren't an inept retard. The programming is jumbled up and would take at least a week to clear up enough to input new commands." Rodney continued working on the ancient computer.

Rothchild mused. "A week? The way the Enclave is pushing, we won't last three days in this bunker. We need Liberty Prime working as soon as possible. As long as the Enclave controls the purifier, they control the future of the wasteland."

Rodney snarked back. "And I care why?" not allowing Rothchild a chance to rebut, he continued. "Ah here we go. There's a manual override that allows someone to input commands directly inside the core of the robot." He looked up at the giant machine. "Huh, looks like they wanted to be able to control it themselves. Weird."

Rothchild furrowed his brow. "Pardon? A manual override? Are you saying there is a way for a man to control that machine like a suit of power armor?"

Shrugigng, Rodney continued to read even as he spoke. "Well yes and no, Yes a person can climb in, but it's nothing like power armor. Think more like Mechwarrior." Turning to Rothchild, he recalled that he wasn't on his planet though he was a geek. "Never mind, but the matter is that none of your people have the proper training to be able to control this level of programming on the fly. Quite literally the robot would still have control, but the person inside would be able to implement new orders or guidelines."

Rothchild's eyes lit up. "And you know about these things?"

Snarking, Rodney barked. "Yes, but there's no way I could teach anyone of you to do this in the next three days unless you could download my brain into your own, which given that I'm much smarter and a _hell_ of a lot angrier, probably isn't a good idea."

With a deep breath, Rothchild suddenly felt quite pleased. "I am not thinking of any of our paladins or scribes."

Rodney heard Rothchild's voice, and in a delayed reaction realized what he'd meant. Lifting his head in shock, Rodney now realized that through no fault of his own, the best way to help the brotherhood was to… _vent_ his frustrations.

* * *

"Well, seems you bro hos aren't all the rotten wastelanders Autumn said you are."

Sarah scowled at the man before her, it was insulting ot see him in his Enclave armor sitting in _her_ home. "You are alive only because a man I trust has vouched for you. Know that if you break his trust, you will not die slowly."

Darrows shrugged, which was notably hard to do in power armor. "We all die sometime. All that matters is what we do before then."

Sarah raised an eyebrow in surprise, the rest of the Lyon's Pride sat around their small barracks, all keeping an eye on Darrows. "I had no idea the Enclave were so fatalistic. Perhaps this is a sign that we _are_ going to win."

With a chuckle, Darrow smiled at Sarah with both more and less friendliness than was necessary. "Since I'll be going with you, I'm sure we can find some way to _celebrate_ afterwards."

The rest of the pride smiled and winced, Sarah gave Darrows a death glare then mused. "I take it back, the Enclave are not fatalistic, they are _suicidal_."

Darrows simply grinned. "Ah, admitting we have something in common, good place to start."

If looks could kill, Darrows would have been decomposing.

* * *

"Give glory onto atom! His warmth bathes us in holy division!"

John was almost catatonic. It took almost a half a minute of standing there and watching this utterly insane man preaching in a puddle of radioactive water for his senses to recover, and realize that if there were people living here for a long time, he likely wasn't about to become a ghoul. "McKay would _die_ if he saw this."

Alicia was flabbergasted as well, though the full impact was lessened by her unfamiliarity with such things. "Planet of the apes comes to mind."

John simply shuddered, A nuke in a town? No big deal! If it hadn't exploded in the last two hundred years, what was the chance it'd explode now? "Come on, let's see if we can find someone who knows what's going on."

The few alleys that made up the city were painfully empty, most people asleep or hiding, John couldn't tell. He noticed something up above on a catwalk that seemed hopeful. He pointed it out to Alicia who read it out loud. "Craterside Supply? Where have I heard that before?"

John himself was oddly nostalgic, something felt odd about this. Even the bar downstairs was relatively empty, then again it _was_ across from an unexploded nuclear bomb. Climbing up the crater which he now realized was where the name of the shop he was heading to came from, John instantly felt his spidey sense ignite.

Opening the door, he saw nobody but a guard inside who stiffened at the sight of him. No words were said though, and John sidled up to the supposed desk where transactions were made. Shopkeeps usually knew all the news, so this was the best place to start. Alicia took his six, ready to back him up if need be.

"Hello?" Answering John's question, Moira Brown popped up from under the desk where she was doing… something. John didn't exactly now and he certainly didn't care seeing the red-headed wonder. "Hey! It's my favorite mercenary couple!"

John reacted. "_You_ again!"

Alicia simply palmed her forehead. "This place has something against us."

* * *

"Then it's agreed, We will attack at dawn. We cannot allow the Enclave to maintain control of the purifier and we cannot hold out much longer against their assault. I would rather go down fighting than die hiding in this bunker."

Rodney tried to interject his complaint. He _really_ did. But something, something he'd never felt before held him back.

"The pride is ready. We'll be escorting Doctor McKay as well as Darrows for our attack. Have a defensive force remain at the Citadel in case the Enclave attemps a relatiatory strike, and the rest to pick off any flanking maneuvers."

He'd heard this kind of thing before, tactics, engagements, maneuvers, Rodney only wished Sheppard were here.

"Nice to know I'll have eight people ready to kill me if I make the wrong move."

Darrows didn't count, He was more a temporary guardian. Someone who would use him till it was over. Rodney would never expect anyone here to care two cents whether he was okay or not. They certainly were more preoccupied with their _war_ to give him any credit.

"Know this _Enclave, _One false step and the pride will burn you to a cinder."

No, Rodney was on his own, Dephany hadn't even said two words to him as she now pulled him away. He needed to lose this monkey off his back, he needed to give his full undivided attention to satiating this… this _thing_ he had. "Come on Rodney… I'll stay with you okay?"

Sex was meaningless now, nothing mattered anymore except that Rodney would sleep well tonight, for tomorrow, he'd be riding in Liberty Prime aiming his rage at the enclave… or whoever got in his way.

* * *

**A/N:** So this is how I'm going to be writing this story from now on, moment after moment after moment with less emphasis on filler. With my attention on both RL and my other series, I still want to get this done :D I'd say the story is about half done since I have an original plot after Vanilla Fallout.

And yes. The next chapter is the beginning of the battle for Project Purity. And yes. Rodney is driving Liberty Prime. W00tage ^_^


	31. Inevitable Dawn Part 1 of 3

**Inevitable Dawn Part 1 of 3**

**a/n:** Yeah yeah I know I know… it's just hard to write for something when you've lost your muse for it :P thankfully I had the muse today for some reason and wrote this all :D

This is the first of three parts which will be the battle of Project Purity as well as the beginning of my original arc that'll take place between the end of Vanilla Fallout and Broken Steel. The three parts will come… sometime :p

* * *

"Kinda ironic don't you think?" Alicia stretched her neck as she and John crossed the catwalk over to the shack Moira Brown had directed them to. "We land in the anus of nowhere, find Rob, run around for 2 weeks looking for Dr. McKay, and we end up finding Rob _again._ Well… sorta._"_

John wasn't exactly in the mood for humor, but he decided that after everything they'd been through, it'd be worth it to at least try. "How is that ironic? Just a coincidence." Finally reaching the door, John noted that it was made of random assortments of sheet metal. He couldn't imagine living in these conditions. "A _strange_ coincidence, but not irony."

Alicia groaned softly and rubbed the side of her head. "Can we just find a place to stay? I've got an axe buried in my head and I'd like to sleep it off."

John perfectly understood, and turning around to where he'd ordered RL-3 to watch their back, he chuckled seeing the robot turn to examine Alicia's head. "If Captain Vega has injuries to her body, recommend Stimpack and Buffout Treatment!"

Rubbing her forehead even more, Alicia groaned to the robot floating next to her. "Sarge, it's a metaphor. Do you know what a metaphor is?"

"Unclear orders ma'am!"

John couldn't help it and chuckled. "Just give up, Leese, you can't win." Turning back to the door, he knocked on it gently. These were rough areas and he knew one false move meant a bullet in the back. "Let's just hope no one's shot the sheriff, cuz I'd rather not deal with the deputy."

Huffing, Alicia snarked. "Lame."

* * *

"Are you sure Rodney? I… I'm worried."

Rodney turned to Dephany and snarked. "You're always worried, That's what you get for never going out and trying to experience the things in this place." It was mean, but Rodney was in no happy mood. These brotherhood bunks were hard and despite the warmth of Dephany's body next to him, he still felt _cold._ "I should know, I was terrified of everything when I came to this galaxy, but you get used to it." Waiting a second, Rodney then hissed. "Or you die."

Dephany drew in a long breath, and rubbed Rodney's chest trying to calm him down. "You've changed… you weren't like this before…"

"Before a pack of barbarian raiders captured and tortured me?" Wanting to finally admit the elephant in the room, Rodney snarled. "Before they had their dirty paws all over my body like I was just some blowup doll they could have their fun with and throw away? Before they made me listen as they raped a woman to death and tore her apart? Yeah, those are the kinds of things that _change_ people."

Receding a bit, Dephany just laid her head down and tried to get some sleep. In hours, the battle for Project Purity would begin, and Rodney would be literally _inside_ the spearhead. "I'm sorry, Rodney."

Another apology, This was worse than Katie Brown.

* * *

"Sorry, I bet you were hoping to not have to go all the way up there, but as far as I know nobody like whom you've described has come through here."

John couldn't tell what it was, but this Lucas Simms character was acting mighty strange. John couldn't help but think of Calamity Jane and Yosemite Sam. Alicia was silent, deferring to John completely as the trio sat in Lucas Simm's living room. "Didn't think you would have, but he's pretty noticeable. More than likely he's been captured by the Enclave so I was hoping he might have been sent here on account of that uhh…" John hooked his thumb over his shoulder and motioned to the center of town, Lucas Simms instantly got the message.

"No, a few Enclave people came by a few days ago, but no one like your friend." Lucas got up and sighed, he looked up to the catwalk where his son was giving him a strange look, but kept silent. "It's funny, Rob said if anyone fitting your description came by that I should take care of em, I just didn't expect it so soon. Only place I've got free is Rob's place and I don't think he'd mind if you stayed the night."

John was relieved, but a little suspicious at the same time. "That's very friendly of you. We don't wanna cause any trouble. RL-3 can stand guard with that robot you got outside if you want, and we've got some stuff we can trade in exchange."

Lucas nodded. 'That'd be swell of you, we've had more raiders come by and the bugs are always a trouble. An extra Gutsy would really give us a good night's sleep." Getting up, Lucas told John in body language that it was time to leave. "I'll see if I can dig up any information from the locals, they're not too trusting of outsiders so I suggest you stay in Rob's place. Oh and uhh… don't turn on the jukebox in there, he thinks people are after something he has so he wired it to blow in case someone tries to open it up."

Now John was _very_ suspicious, Lucas Simms wasn't telling him something, but the problem was that John and Alicia were on _his_ turf, a fight would mean a lot of deaths, and John had seen children around. "Right… yeah he seems like that kind." John nodded courteously and headed for the door. "Thanks for the… information, Sheriff. We won't get in anyone's way."

Lucas nodded, and saw John and Alicia out the door to where RL-3 waited patiently. "Pleasure's mine, if y'all can make a difference around here, the people will warm up and welcome you."

Alicia finally said something as she turned and bowed her head graciously. "Thank you Sheriff, with any luck this won't be the only time we meet." John gave her a curious glance, but then motioned with his head to move out.

Lucas closed the door behind him, and then saw his son begin to step down to the main floor. "Go to your room. And I don't want you to talk to these strangers."

Harden furrowed his brow and rubbed his tired eyes. "But…"

Lucas stepped over to his son and picked him up. "But nothing, Harden."

* * *

"So do you ever sleep? Or are you one of those androids from the commonwealth?"

Sarah smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "We're on watch duty. An hour each. So I hope you jerked off last night because you even try it, and I got a cattle prod I wanna try out nearby."

Darrows rolled his eyes and shifted in the bed. "Isn't there some rule about resting up before a big battle?"

Sarah remained still in her seat, the power armor giving her inhuman control. She fingered the laser pistol in her hand and watched as Darrows continued to shift around without his armor on. "Like I said, an hour each, Lyons pride doesn't trust you and at the first sign, we'll burn you into ash."

Opening his eyes and staring at Sarah now, Darrows decided to get ot he heart of the matter as he really _did_ want to get some sleep. "Get this straight bitch, I'm here because Rod comes from somewhere a _fuckload_ better than here. It's people like _you_ who can't see past the muddy shithole they live in that'll kill us all. Rod's said it'll take another three or four weeks for his people to arrive, so my job is to make sure he _survives_ that long and maybe, just maybe make this muddy shithole a little better.

He noted Sarah's surprised look, and he snorted. "What? You think all Enclave are mindless killing machines?" Darrows then smirked one last time before deadpanning. "Wait till tomorrow, we'll see who's the mindless killing machine."

Sarah didn't say anything. The Enclave were apparently a little more intelligent than she'd thought, but that just made them more dangerous opponents.

-------------------

"Sir, you know I have a thing about Robots."

Wadsworth turned his head politely towards both John and Alicia, given that the first thing they saw as soon as they walked into Rob's place was a floating robot, John couldn't blame Alicia's current state. That didn't mean he wasn't going to tease her though. "At least it's not asking you to strip so it can give you a backrub."

Alicia narrowed her eyes and glared at John. "Not funny, John."

Wadsworth repeated his greeting. "Good evening sirs! I have been instructed by my programmers to welcome you to Sir Rob's domicile!"

John smiled seeing that Alicia was now edging away from the robot, and exploring the two story shack. "Thank you… Wadsworth. I don't think we'll need any assistance right now."

"Certainly sir!" The robot was completely unoffended by the brush off and floated on upstairs. John shuddered as he wondered just how crazy this place had gotten.

"Uh…

Turning to Alicia's confused murmer, John entered the main room of the shack and was shocked by what he saw.

"John… What is thi…?"

"Don't ask." John interrupted Alicia's appraisal of the pair of lighted mannequins hanging from the roof in a _very_ suggestive position. "I don't even wanna know." Looking around the rest of the room, John saw a bunch of drug memorabilia, booze, and even changes of clothes right there in the 'living room'. But the biggest attraction of all was the giant heart shaped bed right in the center of the room.

Walking around and exploring, John could see that Alicia was quite shocked with what was going on. He shared the sentiment. Sitting down on a nearby chair, John questioned exactly how sane Rob must have been. Alicia crouched next to him and he sighed staring at the bed which seemed to be the only one in the house given the Wadsworth was blocking the upstairs. "So…. You want the left ventricle or the aorta?"

Alicia sighed and rubbed her head. It was a bad joke, but oddly fitting at a time like this. "Rob has a strange taste in furniture."

* * *

"Are you ready Doctor Mckay?"

Rodney sighed softly, and then nodded. "Just like Neo…"

Rothchild gave Rodney a strange look, but didn't comment on the unknown reference. He keyed in the open command to Liberty Prime's central core systems and watched as Rodney carefully crawled in and began to examine the area. The battle was planned to start in less than an hour, the push only needing to be a few kilometers. Rodney would have to work out how to get this to work soon or…

To Rothchild's shock, Liberty Prime suddenly powered up and the hatch where Rodney had gone in slammed shut. _"Voice module online. Audio functionality test... initialized. Designation: Liberty Prime. Mission: the Liberation of Anchorage, Alaska."_

Immediately after, Rodney's voice came in ecstatically. "It's working! It's actually pretty easy as long as you know what you're doing!"

Rothchild grunted, of _course_ it would be easy if you _knew_ what you were doing. "Excellent Doctor McKay! Now power it down! We need to ensure our forces are…"

"Screw that! Do you have _any_ idea how powerful this thing is!?" Rodney's voice sounded different than before, almost as if he'd decided that _he'd_ be the center of the story now.

Rothchild realized that with Liberty Prime under his control, Rodney had full access to all the systems of the Citadel. Maybe putting a less than sane doctor at the helm of the most powerful weapon they had wasn't the smartest thing to do.

* * *

"So which one of you molested me last night?"

Lyons Pride was not at all amused by Darrow's annoying quips. Even more, wearing his repaired Enclave Power armor was a mockery to everything the Brotherhood stood for.

Standing in the center courtyard of the Citadel, with Lyons Pride as well as Rob who'd serve as technical expert for Project Purity, Sarah donned her own helmet and prepared to pick out their weapons for the upcoming assault. "Watch your tongue, Enclave. I may prove your words true with it."

Darrows raised his eyebrows, impressed by Sarah's threat to sodomize him with his own tongue. "The boys must love you."

Before Sarah could retort, the ground began to shake under them. Rob stumbled a bit and readied his Gauss Rifle. "Whoa! What the fuck!? I thought he wasn't coming out for another hour!"

Sarah clenched her teeth, Lyons Pride was the only unit that was fully ready, the other four squads of Brotherhood Knights and Paladins were reconnoitering the area for Enclave activity and would have joined them on the way. She clicked her radio and called out. "This is Sentinel Lyons! What's going on!?"

Elder Lyon's voice came through amidst static. "_Sarah! Doctor McKay is launching Liberty Prime! The machine is programmed to head straight to Project Purity! You must defend it!"_

Sarah winced and clenched her fists tightly. Yet again, it'd be up to Lyon's pride to get the job done. In the recesses of the ground beneath her, she heard a loud and booming voice.

_"Liberty Prime is online. All systems nominal. Weapons hot. Mission: the destruction of any and all communists."_

* * *

"Stop staring Leese."

Alicia couldn't help it. She hadn't noticed it the night before what with all the secrecy and sneaking around, but this was just _insane!_ "At which one?"

John simply tried to ignore the two headed cow standing in front of the Megaton clinic, and he put his arm around Alicia to try and pull her away. "Either!"

They'd just gotten a few feet away, when they heard a low guttural sound behind them. "Moo, I say."

Alicia jumped at the voice. "What the _hell!?"_

John managed to keep his control and kept pulling Alicia along despite the insane moment. "You didn't hear that and neither did I!" Realizing that the cow had likely been drinking the radiated water from the nuke nearby, John decided to get as far away as possible. "Now let's get the hell outta here!"

Rushing up the stairs, Alicia was more than glad to oblige. They had just made it to the outer doors when they saw Lucas Simms outside surveying the area around Megaton while holding his rifle. "Leaving?" He turned to face John.

John turned to Alicia and motioned to RL-3 who stood nearby staring at Deputy Weld the Protectron with the Cowboy hat. "Tell Sarge we're moving out."

Alicia could see that John wanted her out of the way for something, and stealthily flicked the safety off her sidearm as she turned and walked away.

John faced Lucas Simms again and muttered. "There's something you're not telling me, but I don't have time to bother with you or your town. All I need to know is where the Enclave came from who were here a few days ago."

Lucas gulped, and then pointed to the north. "That way. Their flying machines usually fly over when they're heading downtown." He sighed and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, you're right. There is something I'm not telling you." Lucas decided to be _somewhat_ honest. "I just got a report from someone coming from that way that the Enclave and Brotherhood are about to launch a major offensive in the downtown area. After what you told me last night, about trying to find the Enclave base up north, I wasn't too keen on seeing you risk your lives because there's a chance now."

John just sighed, these hillbilly mutated hicks were going to be the death of him. "Well… at least you finally told me the truth." Without another word, John merely turned and barked at Alicia and RL-3. "Come on! Let's get the hell outta here. Raven Rock's somewhere out there and we've got a fight ahead of us."

Lucas watched as the trio moved off into the morning sky, the sun barely cresting the horizon. He heard small footsteps coming up from behind him and bowed his head.

"Why didn't you tell them Dad?"

Lucas hated being a father sometimes. No… he hated being a father _and_ the person Megaton relied on for safety. "Remember I told you about fire in people's eyes?"

Harden sidled up to his dad and looked expectantly up at him. "Yeah."

Lucas squinted and could just make out John helping Alicia up a large rockface, heading out into the barren wasteland towards Springvale and Arefu. "That man's got more than fire. You see how he doesn't hesitate? That's a man who'll kill anyone who gets in his way. He's going to make the Great War look like a firecracker by the time he's done." He looked down at Harden and noticed his voice cracking slightly. "… and I'd rather have someone like that pointed at the Enclave than anywhere around us."

* * *

Darrows winced as he saw Liberty Prime bounce against the concrete walls of the Citadel as the crane operator showed his ineptitude, the Brotherhood was in chaos and the Enclave had noticed. He heard Rodney cursing a blue streak over the radio the Brotherhood had provided him and stood on the hills overlooking the bridge they'd take across to Project Purity.

Several Vertibirds had begun to fly overhead, and he took cover as artillery fire began to pour in from the defended area of Project Purity. Lyons pride was near as well, and he could make out trading laser and ion fire in the distance where the frontlines were.

Liberty Prime was finally dropped unceremoniously onto the hill, and a second later, it shook as if dusting itself off and began to lumber forward. "_Communism is a lie!"_

Darrows had heard a lot about old pre-war politics. But he still chuckled at the old adage. "Tell it!"

Sarah crawled over to him, the artillery fire couldn't reach them but snipers were always a possibility, she used hand signals to coordinate her squad into a laager formation to follow Liberty Prime and prevent any…

_*BOOM*_

"_WHUHAHAHAHAHA!!!! The Gort Bot works!"_

Darrows got up and began to follow Sarah, but was shocked as he saw a pair of ion beams zap out of Liberty Prime's face and bisect another Vertibird causing it to explode violently enough that shrapnel rained down around them.

Sarah kept Darrows in front of her, shoving him to stay in her sights. She called out on her radio. "Take it easy Doctor McKay! You don't want to overtax the systems!"

Liberty Prime turned again, and fired another long blast across the river turning a pair of Enclave Rocket Jockeys into steaming piles of molten metal and flesh. _"Nonsense! I am invincible!"_ Rodney's voice boomed out in Liberty Primes voice, obviously the Doctor had gotten a firm hold on the controls of the mech.

Darrows finally realized what he'd done. He muttered over the radio softly. "I think he's finally snapped… maybe this wasn't the best idea ever."

Shoving him again, Sarah motioned with her head for Darrows to keep moving. "Too late now, and you'll have to prove your side in battle if you want to live to see the consequences."

Realizing that even with Liberty Prime, there would still be pockets of resistance left to oppose them, Darrows hefted up his rifle and began to move forward.

Darrows kept up with Liberty Prime, wincing each time he saw an Enclave Trooper get melted by the Ion Beams of the robot. Rodney seemed to be in control, but at the same time it kept on shouting a ton of epithets from old Pre-War propaganda. _"Death is a preferable alternative to Communism!"_

He hadn't taken a shot yet, not that he had to, Rodney seemed to have pretty good aim with the robot. Sarah kept behind him though, and he was just waiting for that armor cutting laser to sever his spine. The rest of the Lyon's pride kept up as well, taking cover positions from incoming artillery that seemed more about suppression fire than actually hitting them.

With the road clear, Darrows stood behind the fourty foot tall robot who now stood still in front of the barrier the Enclave had put on the bridge. Liberty Prime yelled. _"Obstruction detected. Composition: Titanium alloy supplemented by photonic resonance barrier. Probability of mission hindrance: Zero Percent"_

The voice continued with Rodney's words. "_I can rip open the barrier! Don't worry! This is normal!"_

How Rodney had managed to figure it out was beyond Darrow's knowledge, but he watched as Liberty Prime now stepped forward and literally used his hands to absorb the energy of the photonic barrier. Darrows had seen such barriers hold back deathclaws and even tactical nukes, so how Liberty Prime could physically handle such energy was beyond him.

To his surprise though, Rodney began to scream. _"Ahh!! I can feel it! It's all around me!" _Liberty Prime began to arc with all the energy around it, the photonic resonance barrier was breaking down. _"Is it wrong that this feels good?"_

Darrows shuddered in distaste, and called out over the radio. "Too much information Doc! Just keep going!"

With the barrier now down, the defenses on the bridge opened up. It would take a massive concentration of fire to take out Liberty Prime, and Darrows knew nothing the Enclave had ready just yet would be able to do it.

Sarah on the other hand shoved her rifle muzzle into his back again. "Pick up a better weapon, and prepare to fight. If you don't shoot, I'll kill you myself."

The moment had arrived, Liberty Prime had to rush Project Purity if it wanted a chance to stop any potential sabotage, that meant Lyons Pride, Darrows, and wherever the hell Rob had gotten himself to with that damn sneaking suit were going to have to deal with whatever Rodney left behind.

That meant Darrows was going to have to kill people, perhaps people he knew. This wasn't like killing raiders or BroHos… this was something completely he was completely unprepared for.

* * *

Something felt wrong, something felt _very_ wrong. John had been in destroyed cities and villages before but this was different. This had a tone of finality to it. The feel of eyes on his back didn't help matters either.

Alicia could feel it too, and she'd unholstered her weapon. "We're not alone."

RL-3 floated along and spoke quite loudly. "Tactical assessment concurred! Probability of ambush from nearby school, seventy three percent! Twelve percent chance of communist spy drones!"

John shuddered slightly, and turned to RL-3. "What about the last fifteen percent?"

"Native Fauna sir!" Changing the subject, RL-3 reported "Detecting Enclave Radio communcations less than a click north! Recommend Recon!"

Alicia had noticed movement off towards the large building, but figured it was the wind since it was blowing pretty hard. "I think we should stay away from there, we might have to go up and around that hill towards that highway, but I don't like it. They'd have height _and_ dug in positions."

"Agreed." John sighed and motioned up the road. "Hope yer feet feel better. This is gonna be a long walk." He then looked to RL-3. "Once we're up on the hill, we can probably look for that Enclave position. We'll probably have to go around _them_ too.

Alicia sighed softly, but made no verbal complaints. She almost felt like asking RL-3 for a ride but that would be undignified, if a little fun. It was spoiled when John said. "Sarge, take point and go up the hill. Easier for you to scout first."

"Yes sir!"

Waiting a few moments for RL-3 to float on up, John sighed and felt his spidey senses begin to tingle. They weren't that far from Megaton, but he suddenly felt like he was in a back alley, exposed in the tightest space possible.

They moved through the blasted out town, most of the houses were torn to shreds and obviously looted. John watched his footing to avoid a twisted ankle which he easily realized could be fatal here. RL-3 was at the summit of the hill, scanning for possible targets.

They'd just reached the last house they needed to cross through to get to the hillside, when John heard a _twang_ sound coming from below him. _Oh crap._

"John!"

The concussive grenade lodged into the bottom brick of the already unstable wall detonated, and John couldn't hear or see anything anymore. He _did_ however feel the sudden crush of rubble come in around him, including one rather blunt one smack the side of his head. And then he didn't feel anything anymore

* * *

**End of part 1**

**Part 2 coming… eventually.**


	32. High Noon Part 2 of 3

**Part 2 of 3 – High Noon**

**A/N: **Yes i'm back :P Hopefully will have more updates for you soon. the story is in _high_ gear so to speak :P**  
**

* * *

Darrows breathed hard though his helmet, the faint smell of burnt flesh and metal filtering through his breathing unit. The bridge they'd just crossed had been packed with Enclave Troopers, all their weapons proving useless against Liberty Prime's heavily armored plates. The Ion Laser Cannons it was armed with easily tore through their Advanced Power Armor and Tesla Armors, he even thought he'd seen a few Hellfires in the mix.

Now Liberty Prime and Rodney were smashing through an intersection, burning away any visible Enclave who tried to hold the mech back. Rodney didn't do that great a job though and it was up to Lyon's pride to clear the way for Rob to cut through to reach Project Purity.

He looked over to where Sarah used her laser rifle to pick off a wounded Enclave trooper, the laser cutting through his damaged armor and into his chest. "Goddamit Darrows! You start fighting now or so help me god I _will_ send you to the slag heap!"

Darrows scoffed softly, his Ion Gatling would only last for a minute worth before he ran out of ammo. But a minute in combat was an eternity, not counting the fact that he likely knew the men he was killing. He wasn't ready to die though, and he had a bigger mission than the Enclave now. So he flicked the safety off, turned out from cover and tracked incoming fire from a window above, Liberty Prime handling an entire squad on the other side of the intersection. He aimed, using the helmet's HUD and his Pip boy to line up a proper shot from the hip. _"God forgive me."_

As he squeezed the triggers, Darrows heard Sarah's voice call out from behind him over the cacophony. _"He will! Just fight!"_

_

* * *

_

Rob crouched and pulled himself up onto the broken ledge. Lyon's pride made a perfect distraction and he hadn't had a problem sneaking around to the side where the Enclave Troopers were. The noise was so loud they couldn't even hear his ripper power up.

One Hellfire Armored trooper fired his incinerator cannon, lobbing gobs of Napalm out easily holding the reinforced position. Lyon's Pride fought, and Rob could see Darrows' Ion Gatling chattering away against the windows. Rob held his breath as he stepped in and dug the Ripper into the back of the Enclave Trooper's neck.

Rob held on as the trooper reacted, but it was pointless. The Ripper quickly tore through the Kevlar by weave of the neck joint, spewing out blood and spinal fluid killing him instantly. Rob let the trooper fall, and shut the ripper off. He sheathed it and quickly policed the meds off the Enclave Trooper's body, a few stimpacks and a Psycho.

He needed clarity right now; the Psycho would definitely help with that. But he'd already been jonesing for the stuff, so he decided to hold off on it till he truly needed it. Lyon's Pride along with Darrows finally broke through the defended position, entering the broken building and hunting down the few enclave troopers there.

Rob sheathed his ripper that was still coated in gore, he didn't care. Either he'd die today… or a lot of other people were going to die. One Enclave Trooper fell back, heading towards the water and some heavier cover. Rob pulled the Gauss rifle off his back and sighted down the scope. He let his pip boy adjust his aim, and pulled the trigger.

The Enclave trooper fell to the ground as his leg was snapped back from the hypersonic projectile, making him easy pickings for Gallows and Glade tag teaming him. He looked up to the end of the street, where Rodney was still laughing maniacally amidst Liberty Prime's capitalist screams. The good Doctor really was insane, but Rob knew it took insanity to survive in the wasteland. He popped out the Micro Fusion cell and replaced it. There was more Enclave to kill, and he had no idea what to expect inside Project Purity.

* * *

John woke with a start, his chest was on fire and he could barely feel his legs. "Vega!"

He felt the sticky dirt against his face; blood had trickled down his face and caked on with the radioactive dust. He heard a voice above him as he realized he was buried underneath rubble. _"Colonel Sheppard! Remain still!"_

RL-3. But where was Alicia? "Sarge! The-" John started coughing, he checked his limbs, none were broken but his entire body felt like one solid bruise. His rifle had jammed underneath him, uncomfortably shoving his back up into the air. He pushed aside the pain and forced his arm up, shoving bricks and broken concrete aside. "Sarge!"

In moments, he'd managed to break through the rubble, RL-3 hovering above him removing bricks with his arms. "Colonel! Good to see you're as hardass as I thought you were!"

John coughed and tasted copper on his tongue. He needed medical attention, but stimpacks would have to do for now. He looked around and saw the building he'd been in had collapsed, if it had had a full roof he'd have been killed instantly. He didn't see Alicia. "Where's Vega? How long has it been?"

"Gone." RL-3 said. "Captured by enemy forces. Chances of mission success have lowered, but RL-3 has survived worse!"

John snapped his head to look at RL-3. "_What! Captured?_ Who! Where the hell'd they come from!"

"From the school nearby, sir. Two hours have passed; I've been digging you out, sir. Protocol requires I assist the highest ranking command officer available."

John wiped his face clean with his Kevlar lined gloved and cursed loudly. He felt his bones crack from the injuries he had, but there were more important matter. "You let them take her! The hell is wrong with you!"

RL-3 didn't seem affected by the rebuke. "Mission Objective is rescue of high value person; Doctor Rodney McKay. Captain Alicia Vega considered expendable in this endeavor!"

John forgot about his pain and shot to his feet. His armor was scuffed to all hell and dented from the brick landslide. "What the hell is the matter with you! You let them take her?" John felt like strangling RL-3, but didn't know where to choke. "What kind of squad mate are you? Where is she?"

Rl-3 floated for a second, and then turned to the school behind them. The sun had reached its peak of the day and glinted off his shiny armor chassis. "Fortified position, almost a dozen combatants. Should RL-3 change Captain Vega's status from expendable to High Value Person?"

"_Yes! For fuck's sake you chrome dome son of a…!"_John groaned suddenly as his side complained, bringing him down to his knees. He had no clue why they'd taken Alicia, but it wasn't a hard thing to figure out. He took in quick sharp breathes, and pulled open his armored satchel of meds. Several of the bottles had broken open, pills spilled out all over. He gingerly pulled out a pair of stimpacks and followed the directions printed out in large friendly letters on them.

Injecting them into his side, he instantly felt it go numb, and then the feeling return slowly. How they actually worked made no sense to him, but all it mattered was that it wouldn't be long for him to go after Alicia and her captors. Then, maybe then, he could figure out where RL-3's neck was to choke the artificial life out of the little ball of military stupidity.

* * *

Rodney chuckled as he saw a Vertibird taking off near Project Purity and heading towards him. He loaded a nuke into Liberty Prime's arm and screamed "Go long!"

Liberty Prime coiled back and flung the nuke in a tight spiral, the Vertibird tried to doge but the explosive caught the left wing shattering the plane into millions of little pieces.

He felt the impact sensors tell him there were more people shooting from below and in front. It was a group of Enclave Troopers hiding in the small foyer of a broken building. Rodney smiled, looking at the cameras in front of him.

With no hesitation, he controlled Liberty Prime's feet into kicking into the foyer as the robot's arms dug into the walls with its hands to support itself. The small armored feet swung in – smashing aside and crushing the Enclave Troopers without remorse. Rodney gave the building another kick just to be doubly sure and the pushed off.

There was still a last stretch to get through, and he had every intention of taking the Enclave down more than just a couple of notches.

* * *

Rocks and pieces of shattered buildings rained down on Darrows as he tossed the empty and near boiling Ion Gatling to the ground. Rob was up ahead, finishing off the last of the wounded Enclave with his Ripper and Gauss Rifle Combo. Sarah stood behind him, leading from the back to ensure his cooperation. "Shooting me in the back is dishonorable, isn't it?"

Sarah grumbled and moved ahead. "You surprise me Enclave, I fully expected you to cower and not fight. Keep proving yourself and maybe you'll live beyond today."

Darrows turned to her and smiled under his helmet. "That a compliment Bro-ho?"

"Of a sorts." Sarah pointed her rifle at him. "Keep moving, once Dr. McKay finishes breaking through, we'll need to hit them hard inside."

Darrows nodded softly, wondering what place in hell he'd secured for himself. He calmly walked over to one of his Enclave brethren; he couldn't tell who it was now given the holes in his armor and steam leaving from multiple Ion hits. He wasn't after the person though, and he instead pulled them aside to reveal the weapon underneath.

Lifting it up, Darrows saw it had a near full charge. He raised the Plasma Gatling Gun into the air and quipped. "Check out my new glow rod."

Sarah grimaced and made hand motions to the rest of her team. The Enclave were dead in this intersection, and it was time to move on. "I heard if goes off early too, now quit thinking with your hammer and move out!"

Darrows felt the solid rebuke hit him, but even more alarming was the Brotherhood euphemisms for a cock.

* * *

The fight had been brutal. Rob's heavily modified combat armor was scuffed from multiple impacts, but Riley had done an impressive job turning it into impressive stuff. Almost as good as power armor, but nowhere near as heavy or cumbersome.

Now as he crouched atop a broken car, watching Rodney demolish the fortified Enclave lines with Liberty Prime, he couldn't help but wonder exactly what was awaiting him inside Project Purity. Was his father's body still in there? Had he survived like Autumn had? _How_ had Autumn survived? There were so many questions he had and just no answers.

Taking careful aim. Robert sighted in on an Enclave Tesla Trooper Rodney had missed. He was stunned from the demolition around him and presented an easy target. Rob didn't even bother with a crippling shot and instead aimed right for his head. The Tesla Armor was great against the high velocity weapon, but against the helmet, the trooper fell to the ground even as his head flew off and into the river.

The Gauss Rifle would only work out here though, as soon as he got inside it'd be time to grab something off the ground and pray he found enough ammo for it.

* * *

John quietly injected the Psycho into his arm and felt the rush of chemicals spread along his body. The feeling was good, it was excellent in fact. His anger had focused into a laser and whoever these goddamned wasteland assholes were they were about to die.

In his full body armor, John had donned his face covering helmet. His rifle was broken but he still carried the 14mm pistol with plenty of ammunition for it. With slugs as big as his armored thumb he knew it was overkill for anything less than power armor.

RL-3 had gone around the side to prevent a flanking maneuver or escape through the broken side of the school. He could already hear gunfire and plasma firing as well as RL-3

_"Since you won't do me the courtesy of killing yourself, how about I arrange the meeting with God for you!"_

John didn't care, and instead he just kicked open the door to the school. Instantly he was hit with a wave of darkness, there was a cage with human remains inside, corpses hung from hooks and chains. This place was a death house filled with the scum of the wastes… and they'd captured Alicia

A female raider wearing cheap armor made of kitchen parts and a tire jumped out with a sub-machine gun. "Hahaha! Bleed!"

John felt the bullets ping off his hardened armor and calmly aimed with both hands, the Pip boy controlling his arms movement to ensure maximum accuracy. The 14mm slug made a resounding and echoing crack, reverberating off the walls of the school like a bomb. The Raider dropped back wordlessly as the slug punched through her chest and cut her spine in half, her heart exploded from the shockwave.

John continued deeper into the school, a calm fury that helped him distinguish between ambient noise and potential targets. A bark came from ahead and a gnarled looking dog came running at him, barking and baring its teeth. John didn't even bother wasting ammo, just waiting till the dog leapt at him and then throwing a brutal uppercut that caught the dog in the throat.

It yelped and hissed, the armored glove hitting so hard its neck broke as it smacked against the wall and then the floor. It quivered and John mercifully finished it off with a sharp dropkick from his left boot.

Even if he had to go through ever goddamned room in this building, he'd find Alicia and make whoever took her _pay._

* * *

Laying down suppression fire, Darrows covered Lyon's pride from the few Enclave left while Rodney moved ahead to the photonic barrier. Darrows could see it had been reinforced and even Liberty Prime's robotics wouldn't be able to shut it off normally. The Plasma Gatling cannon pulsed out a nearly solid stream of green plasma, burning divots in armor, cover, and even the ground itself turning it to glass.

Lyon's pride finally crossed to cover and Darrows stepped out, still firing. The Plasma Gatling cannon hissed and let off a venting of steam from the constant firing. These guns weren't designed for such intense use in one salvo.

The Enclave opened fire on him, but were quickly suppressed by Lyon's Pride who now covered him in return and moved ahead in a staggered formation. Darrows watched as a rocket flew into the bunkered Enclave position from above, he turned and just caught Rob throwing the spent missile launcher to the ground as he jumped down from the second story fire escape of the broken building behind them.

War was hell, but it never did change.

* * *

John had reunited with RL-3 and switched weapons twice, prying them from the death grips of the defenders here. He hadn't found Alicia, but he was now on the third floor. Another dog came at him and John quickly put it down with a burst from the badly maintained submachine gun he'd grabbed. The firing pin clicked empty, and he just tossed it to the ground.

The third floor looked to be only two large rooms, a library and a hidden room. The walls were torn open all over making for a very confusing battlefield.

He pulled out a medium caliber handgun from his belt that he'd taken off one brave, if foolhardy raider. He'd left the first and second floor riddled with bullet holes and bodies, not much different from the décor there already was here. They'd screamed for help from above, so John assumed the pack leader was up here.

RL-3 kept quiet despite the action outside. The robot had taken out several raiders himself, burning them with his combination plasma and flamethrower weapons.

John hadn't felt any pain, he'd been shot and stabbed, and a dog had even bitten him. But all that was on his mind was getting Alicia back; nothing else mattered at the moment. He crouched and stealthily moved in, holding up his hand for RL-3 to cover his flank.

John heard heavy breathing ahead, and he decided to be lenient. "Step out with your hands up, you're surrounded."

A few moments, passed, but instead of just stepping out, a pair of raiders with higher caliber rifles leaned out and fired. _"Fuck you! I'll wear your face motherfucker!"_

John was already behind cover; he calmly moved around and waited for a lull in return fire before moving around the broken walls of the third story. He ended up hidden behind the two raiders and saw they were just more peons, nothing specifically said they were in charge. So John calmly aimed and fired two point blank headshots in as many seconds.

John moved over to the door to the hidden room, stepping over the Raiders' bodies which oozed blood and gods knew what else. John tried the handle but it was locked.

Seconds later, gunfire ripped through the door grazing John, these bullets were of high caliber and tore chunks out of the tough brotherhood Mark 2 armor. John ducked out of the way and kept his sidearm ready. He hadn't been actually wounded but that gun would do damage if it hit him anymore.

_"I'm gonna shit on your face!"_

John groaned softly, these raiders were so unsophisticated. He didn't hear Alicia in the back though so that either mean she wasn't there… No. John refused to think that Alicia was gone in such a senseless act of violence.

RL-3 came up to the side, ready to fight. John made some hand signals to the robot, indicating to use his flamethrower on the door itself. John backed away from the door and heard more cursing from inside. A female voice, but not Alicia's.

RL-3 quietly moved into position and aimed. He fired a spew of the flame ahead setting the rotting wood on fire. Gunfire spewed out, a few rounds which caught RL-3 doing minor damage. RL-3 didn't even flinch beyond the kinetic energy and continued.

John let it go for a second before holding a hand up telling him to stop. Rl-3 did as he was ordered and moved into a flanking breach position. John checked his handgun and made sure it was working before getting up, and taking a deep breath.

He angled over and slammed into the broken and burning door, sending out a spray of shrapnel with the body check. He saw the raider cower in fear that the sight of a fully body armored soldier break in amidst flames and broken shards of wood, and he aimed the pistol at the Raider on the floor. She was in broken and ancient combat armor, holes everywhere from the abuse it had taken. "Where is she!"

The Raider scampered back and raised her rifle to fire. John fired twice, once at the gun knocking it about, and a second time through the Raider's exposed shoulder. She screamed in pain as the bullet tore into her flesh, and John moved forward pinning her to the ground with his feet. "_Where is she!"_

The Raider tried to dislodge John's boot from her chest with her still useful hand, but it was pointless. "P-P-Paradise Falls! We sold her to them!"

John felt his blood raise another few notches on the scale of anger. Paradise Falls meant slavers; he'd learned that much from his time in the wasteland. "Where?"

"I told you! Paradise…"

John leaned forward on his foot and clicked the hammer back on the gun. It was a pointless gesture as it was an auto-cocking weapon but it still added to the intimidation. "_Where is Paradise Falls from here? How long ago did they take her?"_

The raider took short ragged breaths; John's boot on her chest was restricting her breathing. John hoped she figured he might let her live if she complied. "Just just an hour ago! She was unconscious! We drugged her so she wouldn't' fight! Fuck we didn't touch her! Forty wanted her clean please! We didn't…"

John let go of his boot, and turned to the door. He was done here. He stomped back over to the door but heard a shifting behind him, _Stupid bitch._

John turned and crouched, the Raider had picked up her rifle again and was aiming, but John was quicker. He put three center mass shots in her chest, and one straight to her head. The bullet holes were clear and oozed out blood as it toppled her back. Dead before her head hit the ground.

RL-3 looked on in awe. He'd been wondering what Colonel Sheppard did to gain such a rank. Now he knew.

* * *

Rodney stomped forward on the bridge, but then quickly realized he'd lost control of the Mech. He tried to override whatever had happened but Liberty Prime boomed out in a loud voice. "OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. COMPOSITION: TITANIUM ALLOY SUPPLEMENTED BY ENHANCED PHOTONIC RESONANCE BARRIER. ESTABLISHED STRATAGEM INADEQUATE! REVISED STRATAGEM: INITIATE PHOTONIC RESONANCE OVERCHARGE."

Rodney saw as Liberty Prime moved into the field, and screamed "AHH! The autopilot's taken control!"

He looked into the cameras behind him; Darrows and Lyons Pride along with Rob were right behind him. He heard Dr. Li's voice come over the radio. _"Relax Dr. McKay, it's supposed to."_

Rodney wasn't sure, and he cringed as he saw the resonance overcharge spark around him in Liberty Prime's piloting module. The Robot grabbed the pair of resonance pylons and overloaded them with its own power. He barely caught Darrow's words from behind him. "_And I don't have a change of pants so keep it together!"_

Rodney grimaced; he'd just killed dozens of men and was likely going to kill more. Shitting himself was the _least_ of his concerns. But now Project Purity lay before him and the hard part had to start, at least he wouldn't be a part of it.

* * *

**A/N: **I just wrote all this tonight. Will likely write some more later this week as I'm comfortable enough with my style to be able to write faster and be assured of quality. So yes, this means faster updates, This next arc has me _excited. _Next chapter is called "_Bleak Twilight"_


End file.
